Parliamentary panel on Wildlife Act amendments to meet states on March 8

New Delhi, March 5 (IANS) The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science & Technology, Environment, Forest and Climate Change shall be meeting different states on the issue of the proposed amendments to the Wildlife Protection Act, Committee chair Jairam Ramesh said on Saturday.

The report of the Committee is likely to be submitted early April, he said.

The Congress leader and former Environment Minister said, the Parliamentary Committee has already interacted with conservationists, scientists and various Institutions. After an appeal was sent out to the stakeholders for sending in their suggestions and objections to the Committee, it had received over 70 responses from experts and institutions on the proposed amendment.

Ramesh had earlier said that the Wildlife Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2021 has not been based on widespread consultation and also that it is poorly drafted and has huge shortcomings.

There has been widespread outrage against the proposed amendments and activists have been critical of the government's intention and the hurried manner in which it was set to be passed since it was introduced in the Parliament in December last year.

It was a protest letter by Jairam Ramesh to the Lok Sabha speaker that ensured that the amendment Bill was sent to the Standing Committee.

The amendment that proposes to introduce Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Appendix species in the Bill has been welcomed by many of the stakeholders while the amendment in connection with 'vermin' has drawn lot of criticism.