Forest clearance under the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980
Why in news: NHPC's proposal to divert 3,278 hectares of Arunachal forest for the 1,720 MW Kamala project is listed before the Advisory Committee on 23 October 2026.
The Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980 bars States from using forest land for non-forest purposes without the Centre's prior approval, given in two stages: in-principle and final. The user agency funds compensatory afforestation. The Advisory Committee is to appraise NHPC's proposal to divert 3,278 hectares in Arunachal Pradesh for the Kamala hydel project on 23 October 2026.
Syllabus: Prelims · Environment & Ecology; GS3 · Infrastructure; GS3 · Environment & Conservation
Why this matters for UPSC
GS3 conservation and environmental impact assessment: Prelims asks what section 2 of the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980 requires, who sits on the Advisory Committee and what net present value is; Mains, how to balance hydropower against forests.
In short
Forest clearance is the Centre's prior approval, under section 2 of the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980, for putting forest land to non-forest use, weighing development against ecology.
Forest clearance must price ecological loss honestly: allow only unavoidable diversions, demand like-for-like afforestation, settle rights first.
Why it matters
For families in the Kamala valley, forest clearance decides whether the forest they live beside can be cut, and on what terms; the State must settle their claims under the Forest Rights Act before it orders a diversion. For the country, the same law sets clean power and flood control against forests that hold carbon, water and wildlife. A plantation raised in another State may restore green cover on paper, but it cannot give the valley back its species or give local people back the forest they used. How strictly the Advisory Committee applies its tests therefore sets the real price of every dam, mine and highway built through a forest.
Prelims pointers
- Coverage since 2023: land notified as forest under the Indian Forest Act, 1927, and land recorded as forest in Government records on or after 25 October 1980.
- 2023 exemptions: strategic linear projects within 100 km of borders, LoC or LAC; up to 10 ha for security infrastructure; up to 5 ha in Left Wing Extremism areas.
- Advisory Committee: chaired by the Director General of Forests; three non-official experts in ecology, engineering and development economics; quorum five.
- Routing under the 2023 Rules: mining, dereservation, hydro projects above 25 MW, encroachment regularisation and ex-post facto cases go to the Centre; up to 40 ha goes regional.
- Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act, 2016: National Fund in the public account of India; each State credits 10% of its receipts to it yearly; balances are non-lapsable.
- Afforestation standard: compensatory plantations must reach canopy density 0.4 by the fifth year and be able to mature to 0.7.
- Penalty: contravening section 2 of the Adhiniyam is punishable with simple imprisonment of up to fifteen days.
- Working permission: a linear project may start preliminary work after in-principle approval, payment of levies, Protected Forest notification of afforestation land and forest-rights compliance.
Practise a UPSC-style question
With reference to the Advisory Committee under the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980, consider the following statements:
1. It is chaired by the Director General of Forests of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
2. The quorum for its meetings is three, including the Chairperson.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- (a) 1 only
- (b) 2 only
- (c) Both 1 and 2
- (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Show the answer
Answer: (a) 1 only
Answer: (a) 1 only. The Director General of Forests chairs it, but its quorum is five, not three.
Statement 1: correct. Rule 3 of the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Rules, 2023 makes the Director General of Forests its Chairperson.
Statement 2: incorrect. Rule 5 fixes the Advisory Committee's quorum at five including the Chairperson; three is the quorum of a Regional Empowered Committee.
Eliminate: Statement 2 is the surer call, since three belongs to the regional committees. Out: (b), (c).
Eliminate: Statement 1 holds, as the Director General of Forests presides. Out: (d).
Trap: Near-miss figure. The quorum of the smaller Regional Empowered Committee is swapped in for the Advisory Committee's.
Remember: Advisory Committee: DGF chairs, quorum five; Regional Empowered Committee: quorum three.
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