Environmental Degradation — Legal Reforms

Entry	Year	Description	Impact
42nd Amendment Act	1976	This amendment inserted Article 48A (Directive Principle of State Policy) and Article 51A(g) (Fundamental Duty) into the Constitution. Article 48A mandates the State to protect and improve the environment and safeguard forests and wildlife, while Article 51A(g) imposes a duty on every citizen to protect and improve the natural environment. These additions significantly strengthened the constitutional basis for environmental protection in India.	Provided a strong constitutional mandate for environmental protection, guiding subsequent legislation and judicial interpretations. It shifted environmental protection from a mere policy preference to a constitutional obligation for the state and a fundamental duty for citizens, laying the groundwork for a more comprehensive environmental governance framework.
Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act	2023	This amendment to the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, aimed to clarify the applicability of the Act to various categories of land and to promote afforestation. It exempted certain categories of land from the Act's purview, such as land within 100 km of India's international borders for national security projects, and land for public utility projects up to 0.10 hectares. It also introduced provisions for compensatory afforestation.	While intended to streamline development projects and enhance national security infrastructure, the amendment has raised concerns among environmentalists and tribal rights activists about potential dilution of forest protection, increased deforestation, and impact on tribal communities. It highlights the ongoing tension between development, security, and environmental conservation, potentially exacerbating tribal rights and forest conflicts [VY:SEC-01-05-02] in some regions.
Biological Diversity (Amendment) Bill	2023	This bill amended the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, primarily to decriminalize certain offenses, encourage biodiversity conservation through local communities, and facilitate research and patenting of traditional knowledge. It aimed to simplify compliance for traditional Indian medicine practitioners and promote sustainable use of biological resources.	The amendment seeks to balance conservation with economic utilization and traditional knowledge protection. While it aims to reduce regulatory burden and promote AYUSH industries, critics argue that decriminalization might weaken enforcement and that certain provisions could undermine the rights of local communities over biological resources, potentially impacting resource exploitation patterns [VY:SEC-01-04-01] and benefit sharing mechanisms.