The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has enacted the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Amendment Rules, 2025 on August 31, 202. These amendment rules introduce changes to the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Rules, 2023. These amendments, effective immediately, aim to streamline the process of diverting forest land for non-forest purposes, clarify procedural approvals, and strengthen enforcement.
Key Definitional and Procedural Changes
The rules formally define the two-stage approval process for forest diversion:
- “In-principle or Stage-I approval” is the preliminary consent given for a project, subject to specific conditions.
- “Final or Stage-II approval” is the final permission granted after a satisfactory compliance report for the Stage-I conditions is received from the State Government.
The definition of “working permission” has been updated for linear projects (such as roads and railway tracks). This permission, granted after a Stage-I approval, now explicitly allows for the mobilization of resources and the commencement of preliminary work, but not major construction like black topping or laying railway tracks.
For projects of a defence, strategic, or national importance, as well as for exceptional cases, user agencies can now submit applications for prior approval through an offline mode, providing a flexible alternative to the standard online process.
Updated Timelines and Afforestation Norms
The validity period for an in-principle (Stage-I) approval has been extended from two years to five years. The Central Government may now revoke the approval if a compliance report is not submitted within this new timeframe.
The amendment also makes significant changes to compensatory afforestation:
- State Governments are now permitted to create a land bank of degraded forest lands or other government lands for compensatory afforestation purposes.
- Afforestation raised under other Central Government schemes can now be utilized to meet compensatory afforestation requirements, subject to specific terms and conditions.
- For the renewal of mining leases, compensatory afforestation will only be charged if it was not provided earlier. The rules also clarify that no compensatory afforestation will be charged for underground mining or associated works that do not involve surface rights.
Enforcement and Compliance
The rules have been strengthened to ensure faster enforcement. Officers of the rank of Divisional Forest Officer or above are now authorized to initiate legal proceedings and file complaints for offenses under the Act. A new timeline of forty-five days has been set for State Governments to file a formal complaint after receiving communication of an offense from the Central Government or its regional offices.