-The Indian Express Out of the 1,400 hectares required for the bullet train project in Maharashtra and Gujarat, 353 hectares will be required from Maharashtra. Mumbai: The Maharashtra Forest department has raised queries regarding a proposal submitted by the National High-Speed Railway Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) seeking to divert 77.45 hectares of Forest land in the state for the proposed Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project. Calling the proposal incomplete, the state government has...

-Down to Earth This new development will benefit the scheduled tribes residing in Banswara, Dungarpur, Pratapgarh The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister on Wednesday (April 25) approved the declaration of 227 villages in three districts of Rajasthan as Schedule Areas. The declaration of Scheduled Areas under Fifth Schedule to the Constitution of India was done by rescinding the Constitution Order 114 of February 12, 1981 and promulgating a new Constitution...

-The Indian Express In the battle over jungle and tribal land, deep mistrust divides natural allies. As India gives shape to its new Forest policy, the votaries of Forest conservation and tribal rights have come out strongly against commercial extraction of Forests that undermines both local communities and ecology. It is a timely show of strength since the draft policy seeks to measure the productivity of our Forests by the quantity of...

-Scroll.in It is important that Forest policies are formulated through a gender-sensitive lens and that women are included in the conversation. A few weeks ago, when Google India marked the 45th anniversary of the Chipko movement with a doodle, it was a refreshing flashback to Forest communities sacrificing their lives to protect trees from being felled for timber use. One of the first such recorded community protests was at Khejarli village in...

-TheWire.in Our progress in conserving natural heritage, environmental stability and ecosystem services is measured solely through the lens of tree cover. It shouldn't. India’s non-Forest ecosystems are biting the dust in the absence of a holistic conservation policy. In place of the latter, we have a new National Forest Policy that outlines the use of Forests in legally binding terms. First drafted by the British to maximise timber production, this policy was revised...