The Indian Forest (Amendment) Act, 2017 amended the Indian Forest Act, 1927.
Changes Made: Under the original Act, the definition of tree includes palms, bamboos, stumps, brush-wood, and canes. The amendment removes the word bamboos from the definition of trees.
Benefits
The felling or transportation of bamboos growing in non-forest areas will not require any permits. It will tap the immense potential of Bamboo industry by increase the productivity of bamboo resources and utilise it for increased value addition to generate employment and economic activities in rural areas.
There are more than 125 species of bamboo in India, cultivated in over 11.36 million hectares (ha) in forests and private lands. According to NITI Ayog, bamboo resources in the country have the potential to generate economic activities worth Rs 50,000 crore as well as to create millions of person days of employment in rural and remote parts of the country.
