On June 28, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFC) notified an updated version of Forest Conservation Rules, under the Forest Conservation Act, 1980. The changes have prompted criticism that the rules will now empower private developers to divert forest land for commercial purposes without first taking the consent of forest dwellers, as required by the Forest Rights Act, 2006.

What exactly are the changes brought about by the Forest Conservation Rules, 2022? Do they really a pose a threat to the rights of forest-dwelling Adivasi communities? How will they change the approval procedures under the Forest Conservation Act? 

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