Rajya Sabha clears Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Bill

Yadav said India was a signatory to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora that required certain legislative actions.

Responding to the debate on the Bill in the Upper House, Yadav noted that while protecting forest land is critical, it is equally important to safeguard the rights of the people who have been residing there since ages. He said the NDA government has taken steps to increase the green cover in the country since taking over the reins in 2014, and it is bound to protect wildlife according to the provisions of the law.

The Bill, which had undergone the scrutiny of a parliamentary panel, seeks to conserve and protect wildlife through better management of protected areas and rationalise schedules, which list out species under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.

According to the statement of objects and reasons of the Bill, the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 was enacted to provide for the protection of wild animals, birds and plants with a view to ensure the ecological and environmental security of the country.

Congress Rajya Sabha member Kumar Ketkar alleged that “real estate sharks” and corporates are destroying forests and creating problems for the wildlife. “To protect the wildlife, not only should the laws be strict but their implementation should also be equally stringent. Real estate sharks are using their money and muscle power or their contacts in the bureaucracy and in the government for not implementing the laws,” he said during a discussion on the Bill in the Upper House.

“At present, when we are talking here about this Act, Nicobar jungles are being completely ruined and removed for the benefit of some corporates. So essentially, the wildlife is actually attacked not by humans but by the corporates and, sometimes, by the celebrity Bollywood-types,” he said.

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh opposed the Bill in its present form and expressed apprehension over the provision related to transport of captive live elephants for any other purpose, saying it could be misused.

Sushmita Dev of the All India Trinamool Congress asked the minister to tell Parliament why the government did not vote against the motion to restart international ivory trade. “That motion was defeated, but this government abstained from voting,” she said.