Question

Forest act was first enacted in-
A. 1891
B. 1927
C. 1952
D. 1972

Answer 1

The Forest Act is based on already formed Indian Forest Acts that were implemented under the British empire. It came into action after the Indian Forest Act of 1878. Both the 1878 act and the 1927 act consolidated and the aim was to reserve the areas having forest cover as reserve forests, or wildlife, to maintain movement and transit of forest production.

Complete answer:

Main rules of Indian Forest Act-
• It consolidates all the previous laws regarding forests and hence becomes a joint act.
• For the colonial purpose, it grants the Government the power to create different classes of forests for their effective usage.
• It regulates movement and transit of production of forest goods, and the duty leviable on timber and other forest produce.

How did it come into action?
• First the Indian Forest Act in 1865 was made by Dietrich Brandis from Indian Forest Act in 1864.
• The 1865 act was followed by the Forest Act of 1878, which lessened the traditional use by communities of their forests.
• The woods were mainly used by the governments for railway sleepers manufacture. After this teak wood was also made a government property.
• It also states the procedure to be followed for declaring an area to be a Reserved Forest or a Protected Forest.

Hence, the correct answer is option (B).

Note: Reserved Forest is defined as an area of land under the provisions of the Indian Forest Act or the State Forest Acts which is under surveillance by the government. In Reserved Forests, all activities are prohibited unless granted permission.
It defines further about the following rules also-
•Forest offense
•List of acts prohibited inside a Reserved Forest
• Penalties leviable on violation of the provisions of the Act.