The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), on November 29, 2025, notified the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Second Amendment Rules, 2025, in exercise of powers under Section 4(1) of the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980. The amendment aims to strengthen procedural support for compensatory afforestation under the principal 2023 Rules.
The amendment inserts a new clause in rule 13(4), mandating that the Nodal Officer of the State Forest Department of the respective State Government or Union Territory Administration shall facilitate and assist user agencies in identifying degraded forest lands suitable for compensatory afforestation. This measure seeks to streamline land identification and ensure smoother compliance by project proponents.
The rules come into force immediately upon publication in the Official Gazette, thereby operationalizing the additional facilitation role of State/UT nodal officers under the compensatory afforestation framework.
[Notification No. G.S.R. 877(E)]
