APSC CCE Mains PYQ Solved | APSC CCE 2023 Model Answer

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APSC Mains GS Paper 2: 2023: “The recently passed ‘Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill, 2023’ seeks to balance the case of forest conservation with the requirement of strategic infrastructure development.” Discuss the possible impact of such interventions in the States of North-East India. (15 marks, 250 Words)

Model Answer:

The Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act, 2023 amends the 1980 Act to fast-track strategic linear projects by exempting forest lands within 100 km of international borders. While necessary for national security, it necessitates a delicate balance with SDG 15 (Life on Land), especially in the ecologically fragile North-East (NE) region.

Key Interventions Under the 2023 Act

100-km Exemption Rule: Lifts mandatory forest clearance for strategic infrastructure along the LAC, LoC, and international borders.
Redefining “Forest”: Restricts the Act’s applicability to lands officially recorded as “forests” on or after October 25, 1980, diluting the “dictionary meaning” protection established by the Supreme Court in the T.N. Godavarman case (1996).

Positive Impacts: Strategic & Infrastructure Imperatives

Accelerating Border Defense: Expedites critical BRO (Border Roads Organisation) projects like the Trans-Arunachal Highway, enabling rapid troop mobilization to counter Chinese aggression at the LAC.
Overcoming Red-Tapism: Historically, strategic projects like the Jiribam-Imphal railway line and the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project faced severe cost and time overruns due to delayed environmental clearances.
Vibrant Villages Programme: Facilitates the integration and development of remote border villages, reducing out-migration and securing the frontier.

Negative Impacts: Ecological and Socio-Cultural Concerns in the North-East

Despite strategic benefits, the amendment poses multi-dimensional threats to the North-East:

Geographic Vulnerability: The 100-km radius effectively swallows the entirety of states like Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura, stripping their forests of central protection.
Threat to Biodiversity Hotspots: Unregulated infrastructure can severely fragment the Indo-Burma and Eastern Himalayan biodiversity hotspots, exacerbating human-animal conflicts (e.g., elephant corridors in Assam).
Erosion of Community Rights (FRA, 2006): Over 50% of NE forests are “unclassed” and managed by indigenous communities. By limiting protection to officially recorded forests, the Act bypasses Gram Sabha consent and tribal ownership.
Constitutional Friction: The overarching central exemptions conflict with local autonomy granted under Article 371A (Nagaland), Article 371G (Mizoram), and the Sixth Schedule. Notably, the Mizoram Assembly unanimously passed a resolution opposing the Act to protect customary land rights.

Way Forward

Decentralized Appraisals: Empowering local District Councils (under the Sixth Schedule) to co-evaluate strategic projects.
Eco-sensitive Engineering: Mandating wildlife corridors and tunneling (like the Sela Pass Tunnel) to minimize canopy destruction.
Updating Forest Records: State governments must urgently map unclassed community forests to bring them under legal protection.

While securing borders is non-negotiable for sovereignty, it must not compromise the ecological security of the North-East. Upholding Cooperative Federalism and aligning infrastructure with Sustainable Development is crucial to realizing a resilient and inclusive Viksit Bharat 2047.

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