What Happened
- The Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) approved an irrigation project covering 272 hectares of forest land inside the Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh.
- The approval came approximately three years after the project was first notified as part of an offset mechanism to compensate for deforestation caused by the Ken-Betwa River Interlinking Project in Panna Tiger Reserve.
- The Durgavati Tiger Reserve was itself developed partly as a compensatory habitat — a green corridor linking it to Panna Tiger Reserve was proposed to allow natural tiger movement following submergence of core habitat under the Ken-Betwa dam.
- Critics have raised concern that a protected area created to offset one project's ecological damage is now itself being opened to infrastructure development.
- The irrigation project falls within the tiger reserve's jurisdiction, requiring mandatory NBWL clearance under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
Static Topic Bridges
National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) — Composition, Powers, and Clearance Mandate
The NBWL is a statutory body constituted under an amendment to the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, enacted in 2003. It is chaired by the Prime Minister of India, with the Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change serving as Vice-Chairperson. The board has 47 members, including ex-officio government officials and independent experts.
For project-specific clearances, a Standing Committee of the NBWL (chaired by the Union Environment Minister) exercises delegated powers. No project can be permitted within a national park, wildlife sanctuary, or within 10 km of their boundaries without this committee's approval.
- NBWL constituted under WPA, 1972 (amended 2003)
- Chairperson: Prime Minister of India; Vice-Chairperson: Union Environment Minister
- Standing Committee performs clearance functions delegated by the full board
- Projects within protected areas or within 10 km require mandatory NBWL clearance
- The committee also has power to approve alterations to national park and sanctuary boundaries
Connection to this news: The irrigation project inside Durgavati Tiger Reserve required NBWL Standing Committee approval because it falls within a protected tiger reserve — a legal requirement under WPA 1972.
Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve — Background and Ecological Significance
Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve is Madhya Pradesh's 7th tiger reserve, spread across Sagar, Damoh, and Narsinghpur districts. It was notified in June 2023, combining the Nauradehi and Durgavati Wildlife Sanctuaries into a single protected landscape. The total area is approximately 2,339 sq km — with a core zone of around 1,414 sq km and a buffer zone of 925 sq km.
The reserve was conceived partly as a receiving habitat for tigers displaced from Panna Tiger Reserve, where the Ken-Betwa River Interlinking Project (approved with NBWL clearance in 2016) will submerge a significant portion of core forest. A green corridor connecting Panna and Durgavati reserves was proposed to enable natural dispersal.
- Location: Sagar, Damoh, Narsinghpur districts, Madhya Pradesh
- Area: ~2,339 sq km (core: ~1,414 sq km; buffer: ~925 sq km)
- Notified: June 2023 (MP's 7th tiger reserve)
- Managed under National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and Project Tiger (launched 1973)
- Tiger reserves in India have a core (critical tiger habitat, inviolate) and buffer (multi-use) zone structure under WPA 1972
Connection to this news: The 272-hectare irrigation project lies within the reserve — which was created as mitigation habitat for Panna's tiger population. Approving further industrial use within this reserve raises questions about the ecological integrity of the offset framework.
Compensatory Afforestation and Wildlife Offsets — The Legal Framework
When forest land is diverted for non-forestry purposes (such as dams or roads), the user agency must pay for compensatory afforestation and Net Present Value (NPV) of lost ecosystem services under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980. The Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act, 2016 (CAF Act) formalized this mechanism, creating CAMPA (Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority) at central and state levels.
In the case of the Ken-Betwa project, mitigation conditions included expanding Panna Tiger Reserve boundaries, planting 2.5 million trees as compensatory afforestation, and radio-collar monitoring of wildlife. The Durgavati landscape was identified as part of the broader tiger habitat offset strategy for this project.
- Forest diversion governed by Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980
- Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act, 2016: mandates NPV payment + afforestation on equivalent non-forest land
- NPV = ecological cost of forests lost; minimum 80% used for forest and wildlife management under CAMPA
- Ken-Betwa project conditions (approved 2016): expand PTR boundaries, 2.5 million trees planted, wildlife monitoring
- Ken-Betwa Phase I will submerge approximately 5,578 ha in Panna Tiger Reserve's core and buffer zones
Connection to this news: If the NBWL approves an irrigation project within the very reserve created as an ecological offset, it raises questions about whether India's compensatory afforestation and wildlife offset mechanisms are being undermined by successive approvals of development inside newly notified protected areas.
Project Tiger and NTCA — Governance of Tiger Reserves
Project Tiger was launched in 1973, making India the first country to create a nationwide programme for tiger conservation. It is administered by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), established under an amendment to WPA 1972 in 2006. NTCA prepares management plans, approves tiger reserve notification, and monitors tiger populations through the All India Tiger Estimation (conducted every four years).
Tiger reserves have a mandatory two-zone structure: the core (or critical tiger habitat), which must be kept inviolate and free of human activity; and the buffer zone, which allows limited multi-use activities. Any diversion of land from a tiger reserve requires both NTCA recommendation and NBWL clearance.
- Project Tiger launched: 1973 (during Indira Gandhi government)
- NTCA established: 2006 (WPA amendment)
- India's tiger population (2022 census): approximately 3,167 (world's largest)
- Number of tiger reserves in India: 55 (as of 2024)
- Core zone: inviolate, no human settlement or commercial activity permitted
- Buffer zone: allows eco-tourism and limited multi-use within sustainable limits
Connection to this news: Any infrastructure project inside Durgavati Tiger Reserve must navigate both NTCA's management norms and NBWL clearance — the three-year gap between notification and approval reflects the complexity of this layered clearance process.
Key Facts & Data
- Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve: ~2,339 sq km; Sagar, Damoh, Narsinghpur districts; MP's 7th tiger reserve (notified 2023)
- Irrigation project area approved: 272 hectares within the reserve
- NBWL: statutory body under WPA 1972 (amended 2003); chaired by PM; 47 members
- Standing Committee of NBWL: chaired by Union Environment Minister; clears projects in/near protected areas
- Ken-Betwa River Interlinking Project: will submerge ~5,578 ha in Panna Tiger Reserve core and buffer; NBWL clearance granted 2016
- CAF Act 2016: governs compensatory afforestation; NPV payments mandatory for forest diversion
- CAMPA: Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (central + state level)
- Project Tiger: launched 1973; NTCA established 2006; 55 tiger reserves in India (as of 2024)
- India tiger population: ~3,167 (2022 All India Tiger Estimation)