India says the new law is a milestone in "enhancement of the productivity of forests". Both parliament houses cleared the law in recent days and it will next go to the president for approval. India's environment ministry, which has drafted the changes, did not respond to Reuters queries. Opponents say India's new law will also change how it defines forests, and so it will apply to fewer green zones, leading to about 20-28% of existing forest cover losing regulatory protection. Such changes, critics say, could lead to excessive construction in the pristine tourist hotspot of Kashmir and other hilly forests in Himalayan states.

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Persons: Anushree, Narendra Modi's, Bahar Dutt, Debadityo Sinha, Bhupender Yadav, Jairam Ramesh, Arpan Chaturvedi, Aditya Kalra, Kim Coghill Organizations: REUTERS, Indian, Ecosystems, Legal, Thomson Locations: Satjelia, Sundarbans, India, DELHI, New Delhi, Delhi, Kashmir