In the amended Bill, there have been discussions on climate change and carbon sink too. Researcher Tushar Das says, “Government has been talking about plantation for climate change mitigation from the beginning. Making carbon sink is a part of the Bill. Government believes that Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) will be used for the creation of carbon sink through additional forest and tree cover. However, for afforestation they need land. They do not have land. As such, they will use the deemed forest, the community forest meant for the tribals. Through amendment and without clearance and seeking the permission of the Village Committee, the land will get diverted to non-agricultural purposes.”
According to Tushar, the largest concentration of tribals is found in Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and Jharkhand, and it is here that mining and forest diversion has taken place at a huge level. The tribals have been adversely impacted due to this and if the amended Bill becomes become an Act, they will get impacted on a large scale.