Prez clears ordinance amending Forest Act, bamboo not a 'tree'

President Ram Nath Kovind today cleared an ordinance amending the Indian Forest Act, 1927.
The ordinance omits bamboo grown in non-forest areas from the definition of trees, thereby exempting it from requiring permits for felling or transportation.
Before the ordinance was issued, the definition of tree in the Act included palm, bamboo, brushwood and cane.
The brief ordinance states that clause seven in section 2 of the Act would omit the word bamboo.
The move is aimed at encouraging bamboo plantations, which will contribute to achieving the objective of doubling the farmers' incomes by 2022, sources said.
Bamboo grown in forest areas shall continue to be governed by the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, they pointed out.