The Rajya Sabha passed the Wildlife Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2021 earlier this month. The Lok Sabha had cleared it four months ago, in August. The Bill, which amends the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, has been justified on the grounds that it was needed to implement provisions of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES), to which India is a signatory.

But the Bill has raised concerns among conservationists. One worry is that it leaves the door open for commercial trade in elephants. It has also been criticised for diluting the federal framework by seeking to displace the State Boards of Wildlife, which are chaired by the Chief Minister, with a Standing Committee headed by the Union Forest Minister, evoking fears of turning a body vested with wildlife guardianship into a ‘rubber-stamping’ authority. 

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