Meaning of `forest` set to change in India

	HEREINAFTER The Union ministry of environment and forests (MOEF) has reached the first milestone of its ministerial excercise 'Defining Forest in Indian Context'. At a 2-day meeting held April 30-May 1, 2007, the Ashoka Trust
	AT STAKE At the April end workshop, the consultants put forward a draft definition: henceforth, forests in India would be defined as "an area under Government control notified or recorded as 'forest' under any Act,
	BIGGEST LANDLORDS An annual demand of over a million railway sleepers translated into an unregulated assault on fores; among other, the sal forests of Garhwal and Kumaon were devasted. Realising forests
	DEFINING MOMENT There is no doubt that India needs a definition of 'forest'. The situation of parallel governance - ministry and court; forest laws and court orders - has ensured that the status quo in forest management is