Report of the committee to formulate objective parameters for identification of inviolate forest areas

The Group of Ministers (GoM) constituted by the Cabinet Secretariat vide their O.M. No. 121/4/3/2010-Cab. Dated 03.02.2011 to consider the environmental and developmental issues relating to coal mining and other development projects, in its fifth meeting held under the Chairmanship of the Hon’ble Finance minister on 20th September 2011 inter-alia suggested that identified pristine forest areas where any mining activity would lead to irreversible damage to the forests should be barred from any kind of non-forest activity. The GoM further suggested that all such forests which can never be regenerated to the desired quality should be protected. The GoM therefore suggested that a committee comprising experts in the field can be constituted to identify such forests. The Ministry of Environment and Forests after examination of the matter observed that for identification of such forest areas throughout India in an objective and unbiased manner, it will need to constitute two Committees. The first committee to formulate objective parameters for identification of such inviolate forest areas for any mining and related activities and after approval, the second committee to actually identify and prepare geo-referenced maps of the areas that meet the identified parameters in each State/Union Territory.