Latest news with #ForestRightsAct2006
Time of India
14 hours ago
- 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.
Time of India
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Govt focuses on community forest rights, conservation
Indore: The state govt has decided to emphasise on conservation, promotion, operation, and maintenance of jungles through forest committees, which have been granted legal rights for the purpose of sustainable protection of forests and creating awareness among tribal communities about their rights. In a step towards the effective implementation of the Forest Rights Act 2006 , a two-day divisional-level workshop on community forest rights , conservation, and management of forest resources commenced in Indore on Thursday. On the first day of the workshop, training was provided to non-official members. The second day will witness a training session for govt officials. This session will include collectors and divisional forest officers from the Indore and Ujjain divisions, chief executive officers of zila panchayats and assistant commissioners of the tribal affairs department. Addressing the gathering, principal secretary Gulshan Bamra provided information about the objectives of the workshop and elaborated on the Forest Rights Act. He also highlighted the actions being taken by the state govt regarding the granting of community rights under the Act. Divisional commissioner Deepak Singh stated that special emphasis is now being placed on community rights under the Forest Rights Act, particularly the conservation and management of forests. He explained that community forest rights include basic infrastructure such as roads, bridges, hospitals, schools, and religious sites. He further informed that a detailed action plan is being prepared through the workshop, which will clearly outline the activities permitted for forest committees and those that will be restricted.
