Guwahati: The Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has amended forest conservation guidelines to permit commercial plantations in forest areas by government and private entities without mandatory payment of net present value (NPV) or compensatory afforestation, according to an order reviewed by Newslaundry. Experts have warned that the move weakens long-standing environmental safeguards.
The amendment, issued on January 2, 2026, alters the 2023 guidelines framed under the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, earlier known as the Forest (Conservation) Act. Under the revised norms, plantations undertaken as part of approved working or management plans prepared by state forest departments will be treated as “forestry activities”.
The change follows deliberations of a forest advisory committee under the ministry that met on December 2, 2025, which examined India’s growing dependence on imported pulp, paper and paperboard. Data cited by the Indian Paper Manufacturers Association show imports rising to 2.05 million tonnes in 2024–25 from 1.08 million tonnes in 2020–21.
According to Newslaundry, the ministry received proposals from several public and private entities seeking permission to establish plantations in degraded forest areas. The advisory committee argued that existing restrictions on commercial plantations, including short-rotation species such as eucalyptus and timber, were hampering forest restoration.
Based on the committee’s recommendations, the ministry amended sub-paragraph 14 of paragraph 7.2 of the 2023 guidelines. Earlier, commercial plantations were categorised as non-forestry activities and attracted NPV payments and compensatory afforestation obligations. The amended provision states that if a state government undertakes assisted natural regeneration, including afforestation or plantation, in partnership with public or private entities and under approved plans, such activities will be deemed forestry operations.
“As a consequence, the requirements of compensatory afforestation and payment of net present value shall not be applicable to such activities,” the amendment said. It added that state governments may devise their own frameworks for utilisation of plantations and revenue sharing on a case-by-case basis.
Environmental lawyer Ritwick Dutta told Newslaundry that the amendment runs counter to biodiversity protection norms, as it opens forest areas to commercial plantations and silvicultural operations that were earlier restricted.
Former Indian Forest Service officer Prakriti Srivastava said the removal of NPV and compensatory afforestation requirements amounts to a further dilution of forest conservation rules, benefiting project proponents at the cost of ecological security.
An official associated with conservation efforts, quoted by Newslaundry, warned that the entry of private players could encourage monoculture plantations of fast-growing species, resulting in the loss of wildlife habitats and ecological complexity. He said replacing degraded natural forests with commercial plantations could permanently damage biodiversity.
Former IFS officer R.P. Balwan described the amendment as “disastrous”, alleging that it allows industries to exploit forest land without financial or ecological accountability.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh also criticised the move, alleging that it opens the door to the privatisation of forest management. In a post on X, he said amendments since August 2023 had already altered the legal framework governing forests, and the latest order reflects those changes.
Section 3C of the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam empowers the Centre to issue directions, including amendments, for implementing the law without parliamentary approval.
Newslaundry has sent a questionnaire to the MoEFCC seeking its response to the amendment and the concerns raised by experts. The ministry is yet to respond.