Panchayati Van Niyamawali (PVN) Amendments 2024

  • Uttarakhand amended rules governing Van Panchayats — unique community forest management institutions
  • Highly regressive: centralises administrative and financial powers back to the state
  • Nullifies progressive 2020-2022 reforms

Key Changes

  • Changed composite management plan (CMP) cycle from 5 to 10 years
  • Converted financial “income” into state “grants” — strips communities of financial autonomy
  • Communities now unequipped to participate in emerging global green-credit and carbon markets

UPSC Angle

  • GS2: Governance, decentralisation, community forest management
  • GS3: Environment, forest policy, carbon markets

Sources: Down to Earth, CSE