Latest news with #ForestRightsAct2006
Time of India
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Stop eviction drives conducted sans due process, CLP urges guv
1 2 3 Guwahati: Assam's Congress Legislature Party (CLP) members on Saturday met governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya at the Raj Bhawan here and submitted a memorandum seeking his intervention to halt the ongoing and proposed eviction drives allegedly affecting indigenous, tribal, and erosion-displaced communities. In their memorandum, the opposition members said "The incidents of eviction transgresse the provisions of the Forest Rights Act 2006, the Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA 1996), Chapter X (Protect Land Rights in Tribal Belts/Blocks) of the Assam Land and Revenue Regulation, 1886, Assam (Temporarily Settled Tenancy Areas) Act 1971 and landmark decisions by the Supreme Court." The CLP delegation also demanded that an independent commission of inquiry be constituted for probe into all evictions conducted since 2022, with a special focus on Sixth Schedule districts and tribal belt and block protections. "Direct the Govt of Assam to publish a comprehensive land rights regularisation policy, clearly distinguishing long-settled indigenous occupants from speculative encroachers," they said in the memorandum, added that legal and humane rehabilitation measures must be ensured in line with constitutional morality and India's obligations under the UN Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. "The people of Assam — especially its tribals, erosion-displaced citizens, and indigenous communities — look to your office as the constitutional conscience of the state. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo These eviction drives, conducted without due process or consent in the name of "development", threaten to dispossess the very people whose land rights the Constitution seeks to uphold," the memorandum read. They also submitted a "People's Charter for Humane and Lawful Eviction Policy in Assam" which "outlines urgent reforms that uphold constitutional values, protect marginalised communities, and promote accountability". The charter includes establishment of a state-wide eviction protocol, mandatory rehabilitation and resettlement framework, suspension of all evictions without due process, setting up of a legal aid and grievance redress platform and creation of a multi-stakeholder eviction review board.
Hindustan Times
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Environment ministry says committed to tribal rights in forest management
New Delhi: The Union environment ministry on Thursday said the government is committed to ensuring well-being and active involvement of tribal communities in forest management by utilising their traditional knowledge and wisdom and extending all support for enhancing livelihood opportunities for them. Environment ministry says committed to tribal rights in forest management The ministry was responding to a submission made to the Prime Minister against subversion of the Forest Rights Act 2006 by nearly 150 organisations working on various forest fights related matters. The submission among other issues, also refers to an interview of union environment minister, Bhupender Yadav published in HT on June 5. In his response to a question on the fact that India State of Forest report 2023 has captured increase in forest and tree cover but also flagged degradation of primary forests. How do you think we can reduce loss and degradation of primary forests? He responded stating: 'Although there is a net increase in dense forests in the country, there are areas where the dense prime forests have been affected with degradation. This may be due to encroachment, illicit felling and in the northeast region, due to shifting cultivation. And to a lesser degree, due to unregulated grazing, natural causes like storms and landslides, and also titles given under Forest Rights Act (FRA) 2006. This may be addressed by taking up stringent protection measures added with effective community involvement, and also by regulating shifting cultivation in the northeastern region. Already degraded areas can be restored by taking up site-specific soil and moisture conservation measures, protection of the area and encouraging growth.' The submission said: This statement (made in his interview) is totally false and misleading; it is legally untenable and is an attempt to subvert the legitimacy of Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006 enacted by the Parliament. This statement is part of a consistent series of subversions by the MoEFCC. As a result, FRA implementation has been stiffly resisted and disrupted by the forest bureaucracy as well as the environment ministry, for the last 16 years. Further, the submission also flagged a National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) order dated June 19, 2024 directing eviction of 64,801 families from tiger reserves of India; the India State of Forest report 2023 report while citing the reasons for negative changes in forest and tree cover attributes 'titles given to beneficiaries under the Forest Rights Act 2006' as one of the reasons among various other issues which is causing delay in recognition of forest rights. 'The statement of the Minister of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change as quoted in the social media has been grossly misrepresented, distorted, represented in a piecemeal manner and is totally out of context,' MoEFCC said on Thursday. The submission on FRA was earlier quoted by Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on X. '150 civil society groups and activists have recently written to the Prime Minister on the systematic and consistent manner in which the Forest Right Act, 2006 has been subverted by the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change,' he wrote. 'The context of the statement about increase in forest cover and halting of the degradation of forest through active involvement of the local community alongside Forest Department and other Government Departments following 'Whole of Government' and 'Whole of Society' approach has been totally undermined , overlooked and misrepresented in the tweet. On the other hand, the sincere efforts of the Ministry in ensuring involvement of community in forest management have also been deliberately overlooked. Recently, direct dialogue and interactions were made by the Minister with the Tharu tribal community living around Dudhwa Tiger Reserve in Balera village of Uttar Pradesh and also with Soliga tribals in Karnataka ensuring their active involvement in management of tiger habitats and surrounding forest areas, both of which elicited a very good response,' the ministry said. Further responding to allegations that Van (Sansarkhan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam has been amended, subverting the legitimacy of institutional authorities 'has been made without an in-depth knowledge and understanding of its various provisions , the factual position and its implementation,' the MoEFCC said. The amendment of the Act was carried out as per laid down constitutional processes and following the due parliamentary procedures. 'Further, the Rule 11 (7) of Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Rule 2023, provides that the State government or Union territory administration, as the case may be, after receiving the 'Final' approval of the Central Government under the sub-section (1) of section 2 of the Adhiniyam, and after fulfilment and compliance of the provisions of all other Acts and rules made thereunder, as applicable including ensuring settlement of rights under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, shall issue order for diversion, assignment of lease or de-reservation (of forests).' This clause ensures that forest rights are indeed recognised, the ministry said.
Time of India
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
BJP govt evicting tribals from their land, denying their rights: Cong
Bhopal: In a joint press conference, LOP Umang Singhar, former Union Minister Arun Yadav, and Congress Working Committee member Kamleshwar Patel stated that tribals in the state are being denied their rights to water, forests, and land by the BJP govt. The Congress functionaries said that, in gross injustice, tribals are being evicted from their land and suppressed with false allegations. The Congress cautioned that if the rights of tribals are not enforced within 15 days, the party will start a mass movement against the BJP govt. Calling the policies of the govt anti-tribal, the three senior leaders said that the BJP has deviated from the issues of development and is now engaging only in the politics of religion. LOP Umang Singhar alleged that the govt is depriving tribals of their traditional rights. "The land leases of thousands of tribal families were cancelled without any prior notice. It is clear from this action of the govt that it wants to snatch the rights of the tribals to water, forest, and land," LOP Singhar said. He also mentioned that in Madhya Pradesh, only five leases were given in Jhabua district so far, which shows that the govt's intention is not to give the tribals their rights but to drive them out of their homes and forests. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Thị trường có dấu hiệu suy thoái không? IC Markets Đăng ký Undo The LOP said that tribals talk about water, forest, and land, but the community is being divided into religions. "Tribals worship nature. Our identity is not with religion but with land and forest. The BJP RSS is going from village to village and dividing us because when BJP talks, it talks only about religion," Singhar alleged. "If the govt does not accept the tribals' demands for lease within 15 days, then a fierce movement will be launched. " Umang Singhar claimed that it was 17 years since the Forest Rights Act (2006) came into force, but the BJP govt has not yet given lakhs of tribal families their legal right to ownership of forest land. "More than eight lakh forest rights claims are still pending across the country. This shows that the govt failed miserably in the proper implementation of the Forest Rights Act 2006," Singhar said. He further argued that the Madhya Pradesh govt rejected more than 3 lakh claims out of 6.5 lakh forest rights claims made by tribals till 2024 without citing any clear reason. Quoting the Forest Rights Rules 2007, the LOP said that Rule 12A (6) states that it is mandatory for the govt to give reasons in writing for rejecting a claim. The Forest Rights Rules, 2007; Rule 12A says, "In the event of rejection or modification of a claim, the reasons for the same must be told in writing in the local language to the person concerned." The LOP alleged that due to the abundance of mineral wealth in the forests of Nepanagar, the govt wants to forcibly displace the tribals there, so that the way can be cleared for private companies. "The govt is falsely accusing the tribals of cutting the trees, while the truth is that they are protecting the forests and planting trees there. There are some other elements that are harming the forests, which the govt is ignoring," Singhar argued. Former Union Minister Arun Yadav said that the govt is removing tribals from the Nepanagar forests even though these tribals were engaged in forest protection. He accused that this is a trick of the govt because it wants to serve corporate interests by evicting the tribals from the forests. Giving the Mohan Yadav govt 15 days, the Congress leaders made it clear that if within this period the tribal society members do not get their rights back, then the Congress party will start a mass movement, and the fight for the rights of the tribals will be fought from the streets to the state assembly.
Time of India
02-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Adivasis say Project Tiger and tourism are displacing them from their ancestral land
TOI correspondent from London: Indigenous communities across India are being pushed out of their ancestral lands in the name of tourism and expansion of tiger projects whilst the laws to protect them are being diluted and not implemented properly, Adivasis told a global press briefing on Monday. 'They say India has got freedom. But I think Adivasi people have not yet got freedom,' J C Shivamma, from the Jenu Kuruba tribe, said at the online event organised by Community Network Against Protected Areas. She is among the 52 households who reoccupied their ancestral land within Nagarhole tiger reserve on May 5, 35 years after their families were forcibly evicted. 'Some of our family members died when in the plantations, but our sacred deities, our graveyard, everything that concerns us, is still in the village, so we used to go back to bury our people in our ancestral land, but it was always a fight with the forest department toconduct rituals. We consider our ancestors to be on the lands, they become deities and this way we were tortured. If we have to die, we will die on our ancestral land,' she said. Shivu JA recalled how their houses were burnt and elephants brought to destroy their fields when they were evicted from Karadikallu. 'This land is ours. It's not any tiger project or scheme of the govt for tiger conservation,' he said. 'Our elders are very happy now. We are having our food, we are going for honey collection. We have our own water resource. We sit together in the evening, and they are teaching us songs. All these songs and lessons were silenced for 40 years." 'The forest department keeps saying that only after your rights are recognised, you can live on this land. We already have these rights,' he said. The Jenu Kurubas are filing a case against the Forest Department under the SC/ST Atrocities Act for withholding their rights and filing an appeal against 39 rejected forest rights claims. 'Why are their rights not being recognised despite the notification of central legislation such as the Forest Rights Act 2006,' asked scholar Nitin Rai. 'People across the country in different states are fighting the same battles. It is important to find a way to raise a collective voice for what is happening all over,' said lawyer Lara Jesani.
Time of India
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Over 20,000 villages in MP to get Community Forest Resource Rights
Indore: The Madhya Pradesh govt has decided to speed up the process of granting Community Forest Resource (CFR) Rights to around 20,000 villages in the state. Madhya Pradesh is among the states with the fewest villages so far receiving CFR Rights, a special category under section 3(1)(i) of the FRA, 2006, which empowers gram sabhas (village councils) to legally manage their traditional forests. These rights ensure community-led conservation and sustainable use of forest resources, said official sources. So far, four villages in the state have been provided these rights, while there is a target to extend the same to around 20,000 villages in Madhya Pradesh. This information was shared by experts to collectors, DFOs, zila panchayat CEOs, and other senior officials of the Indore-Ujjain division during a two-day divisional-level workshop focusing on community forest rights and the conservation and management of forest resources. The workshop, organised in line with the state govt's directives for the effective implementation of the Forest Rights Act 2006 , concluded in Indore on Friday. Resource persons Sharadchandra Lele from the ATREE Institute, Bangalore, and Ashwini Kange, working in Chhattisgarh, provided detailed information on the process of conservation and management of community forests as per the provisions of the Forest Rights Act and the procedures for their recognition, through presentations and short films. They explained how to maintain and manage forests effectively. The state govt has sped up the conversion of a total of 925 'Van Gram' (forest villages) into 'Rajasva Gram' (revenue villages). "We have urged the state govt to carry out a proper survey and settlement of agricultural fields in 925 Van Gram before converting them into Rajasva Gram, else the farmlands of people would be considered as encroachment," Lele said. In the workshop, Indore divisional commissioner Deepak Singh urged officials to actively participate in recognising maximum number of community forest rights in their respective areas, in accordance with the govt's vision, and to play a proactive role in forest conservation and management.
