Carbon Copy A freshly passed Amendment to the Forest Conservation Act has created a stir among ecologists, parliamentarians and stakeholders. With several contentious provisions, the Amendment reveals an afforestation push where rights and justice take a backseat to commercial interests. This week, amidst a raucous monsoon session, the Indian Parliament saw the passage of several consequential pieces of legislation in quick succession. Among them was the contentious Amendment to the Forest Conservation...

The recently concluded Parliament session saw the passage of the highly controversial “Forest Conservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023” amid wide protests and without much discussion. The bill is aimed to amend the erstwhile Forest Conservation Act, 1980. Among the changes suggested, the below preamble was inserted into the act, and the “Forest (Conservation) Act” is substituted by “Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam” in the principal Act. While the Environment Ministry claims that...

The draft bill allows insurance companies the freedom to sell different financial products Mint The government is likely to introduce the Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill 2022 in the monsoon session of Parliament to bring deep reforms in the insurance sector, including a provision for composite insurance licence and flexibility in entry barriers, two people aware of the development said. According to them, stakeholder consultation on the draft bill is expected to be...

-PTI/ The Telegraph Senior govt official says consultations are going on with various stakeholders and changes are expected to be finalised in coming weeks New Delhi: The government is preparing to amend the insolvency law as it looks to reduce the time taken for the completion of the resolution process of stressed assets and prevent significant erosion of value of the assets, according to a senior official. Amendments to the Insolvency and Bankruptcy...

-The Hindu There should be differentiation between pet animals, draught animals, commercial animals for food, animals for performance and entertainment, and zoo animals, says head of Poultry Federation of India As the last date to submit views and opinions on the draft Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Amendment) Bill ended on December 7, questions have been raised, particularly by poultry farmers and farmers, on the lack of clarity in defining cruelty and...