Under the provisions of the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, if a project requires diversion of forestland for non-forest use, prior approval of the Centre is imperative. For this, one needs to apply to the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) through the state forest department. A Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) at MoEF scrutinizes the proposal and based on certain criteria either grants or rejects clearance. The approval depends on the achievements of the state government concerned to guarantee land for compensatory afforestation.