Indian Forestry Policy in Two Eras: Continuity or Change?

Abstract

Throughout Indian history, forests have played an important role in the well-being of the subcontinent's population, communities, and governments. Long before the British arrived, India's inhabitants relied upon forest resources as an essential element of their lifestyles. With the advent of British colonial administration, India's forests became bound to the requirements of the state, and rural populations found themselves increasingly excluded from access to these valuable resources. After 1947, control over forests passed into the hands of a different state: independent India. However, the overall situation was not radically altered. Under both British and independent Indian administration, forest resources were perceived as integrally tied to economic development of the state through meeting raw material needs. Under British rule, forests met the needs of the colonial state; after independence, forests became increasingly tied to the needs and goals of the independent Indian state. Despite the transition from colonial to independent status, forest resource management changed little: exclusionary processes accelerated as successive Indian governments strove to consolidate