​Parliamentary panel to adopt draft report on Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Bill

The Bill amends the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. The Act regulates the protection of wild animals, birds and plants, as per ANI.

New Delhi: Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology, Environment, Forests and Climate Change is scheduled to undertake consideration of 'the Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Bill, 2021' on Monday (April 18) and to consider and adopt the draft report on the Bill. The Committee is scheduled to meet between noon and 1 pm at Parliament premises.

It is to undertake clause-by-clause consideration of 'the Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Bill, 2021' which seeks to increase the species protected under the law, and implement the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

The Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Bill, 2021 was introduced in Lok Sabha by the Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on December 17 last year. The Bill amends the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. The Act regulates the protection of wild animals, birds and plants.

The Bill provides for the central government to designate management authority, which grants export or import permits for the trade of specimens; and scientific authority, which gives advice on aspects related to the impact on the survival of the specimens being traded.

As per the Bill, every person engaging in the trade of a scheduled specimen must report the details of the transaction to the management authority.

As per CITES, the management authority may use an identification mark for a specimen. The Bill prohibits any person from modifying or removing the identification mark of the specimen. Additionally, every person possessing live specimens of scheduled animals must obtain a registration certificate from the management authority.

All the Committee members have been requested to attend the meeting by maintaining social distancing as per government guidelines.

The Committee, chaired by Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, consists of 10 Rajya Sabha and 20 Lok Sabha members. The members of Rajya Sabha in the Committee include Anil Baluni, Vandana Chavan, Seema Dwivedi, Indu Bala Goswami, Joginially Santosh Kumar, Parimal Nathwani, Bhaskar Rao Nekkanti, Nabam Rebia and Rajani Ashokrao Patil.

The members of Lok Sabha in the Committee are Guharam Ajgalley, Pradan Baruah, Jashvantsinh Sumanbhai Bhabhor, Sudarshan Bhagat, Anantkumar Hegde, S. Jagathrakshakan, Mohammed Azam Khan, Jyotsna Charandas Mahant, Swami Sakshiji Maharaj, Asaduddin Owaisi, Kotha Prabhakar Reddy, Jayanta Kumar Roy, Sajda Ahmed, Francisco Sardinha, Anurag Sharma, Mahesh Sahoo, M.P. Abdussamad Samadani, Kirti Vardhan Singh, Ramapati Ram Tripathi and Ram Shiromani Verma.