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The Hindu
31-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Bamboo and kendu power to the people
Tucked away in the hills of Kalahandi in western Odisha, the tiny village of Palki is so remote that it is barely a dot on the map. With just 57 tribal households and no proper road or public transport, reaching Palki is a challenge. Here, no one has studied beyond class 8, and generations here have grown up in hardship. Making ends meet was a daily struggle. Over the past couple of years though, something has changed. Palki is now flushed with a community fund of ₹8 lakh. Alok Majhi, 27, the barely-schooled secretary of the Palki Gram Sabha, is looking for a teacher to tutor school-going children during the summer vacation, offering a monthly remuneration of ₹6,000, unthinkable just a few years ago. Two years ago, the villagers had struck a direct deal with a trader from Maharashtra, earning ₹26 lakh for two years of bamboo supply. Palki's transformation began when its people decided to take charge of forest resources — especially bamboo and kendu (used in bidis) — under the rights granted to them by the Forest Rights Act, 2006. The earlier system entailed government intermediaries that would regulate prices. Now, the village is writing its own story of change. Forty kilometres from Palki, and not as remote, Pipadi is another village nestled in Kalahandi's forested belt, that stretches across over 2,500 km. A paramilitary camp has just sprung up on its outskirts, reportedly to curb the movement of Maoist extremists. Between government and Naxal forces, Pipadi, with just 45 households, manages 4,300 acres of forestland on its own terms. For the past five years, Pipadi has been selling bamboo worth ₹5-7 lakh annually. It even issues its own transit passes for truckloads of bamboo headed to Telangana, an act of local governance rarely seen in such remote pockets. This stand is echoing across 100 villages in Kalahandi. Elsewhere too — though not yet as organised as in Kalahandi — forest dwellers in Nayagarh, Kandhamal, Koraput, Malkangiri, Rayagada, and Mayurbhanj districts of Odisha are beginning to assert their rights over forest resources, challenging barriers long imposed by the Forest Department. In early May 2025, forest dwellers blocked National Highway 26 at Ampani in Kalahandi district after the Forest Department stopped movement of two kendu-leaf-laden trucks permitted by Borapadar and Pipalchhapar Gram Sabhas. Angered that the government had allegedly dishonoured the transit pass issued by the Gram Sabhas, Koksara Block Level Gram Sabha Federation registered a complaint with the local police. The first information report stated that the Forest Department had violated Section 3(1)(c) of the Forest Right Act (FRA), which confers ownership rights over forest produce like kendu leaf and bamboo to forest-dwelling Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (OTFDs). The agitation led by tribal women and men forced the Forest Department into issuing an assurance that they would not obstruct movement of non-timber forest products (NTFPs). Timber is still controlled by the government. The Forest Rights Amendment Rules, 2012, state that transit permits for transportation of minor forest produce (MFP) such as bamboo and kendu leaves, are to be issued by a committee constituted by the Gram Sabha or a person authorised by the Gram Sabha. Palki has been selling bamboo between ₹30 and ₹40 per piece, taking into account the present and future. 'We have divided the forest managed by the Gram Sabha into four sections,' explains Alok, the Palki Gram Sabha secretary. 'We harvest bamboo from only one section each year, returning to the same section after four years. This allows for soil regeneration and prevents overexploitation.' One-third of the revenue goes directly to the bamboo cutters, who are villagers themselves. The remaining two-thirds is considered Gram Sabha profit, of which 50% is reinvested in forest development, 30% goes into a village fund, 10% covers village management costs, and 5% each is allocated to the block and district-level federations, he says. This year alone, Palki spent ₹2.5 lakh on bamboo regeneration and densification, using soil enrichment techniques at the root level. The effort created 635 labour days, 400 of which involved women workers, each paid ₹300 per day. This has stopped people in Palki from emigrating outside the State to work in the construction sector, say villagers, despite the fact that the minimum wage in Odisha for even unskilled work is ₹462 per day. Women working on bamboo bushes in the forests of Kalahandi district. Around 2,000 villagers work as bamboo cutters across 100 villages in the district. | Photo Credit: BISWARANJAN ROUT Today, around 9,000 women are engaged in kendu leaf plucking and 2,000 people work as bamboo cutters across 100 villages in Kalahandi. Their income helps them educate children, construct houses, and pay for weddings. Block- and district-level federations serve as mediators in resolving conflicts, especially those arising from disputes over forest boundaries. These federations help unify Gram Sabhas and step in when there is a need to confront the Forest Department or trader associations that create obstacles. Besides, continuous capacity building of villagers takes place out of the fund deposited with Gram Sabha, says Dasarathi Behera, advisor to the Kalahandi District Gram Sabha Federation. 'What better revenue model could a village with rich minor forest produce adopt?' says Dasarathi. 'Since the conferment of Community Forest Rights, tribal villagers have come to see the forest as their most dependable source of livelihood. This realisation has fostered sustainable forest management and improved conservation efforts.' Villagers must apply for these Community Forest Rights, which the government then grants. According to Geetanjoy Sahu, a professor at the Centre for Climate Change and Sustainability Studies, School of Habitat Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai, rights for forest dwellers on forest resources should be seen in three phases. Before colonial rule in India, forest-dwelling communities across the country, including in Odisha, exercised traditional rights over forest resources. They followed customary norms of harvesting forest produce, practised shifting cultivation, and even hunted for food. This changed with the advent of colonialism. The British sought to appropriate forest resources for their own interests, introducing laws like the Indian Forest Act, 1927, and the Land Acquisition Act, 1894. Post-independence, the Indian state retained colonial-era laws, with the justification that it would look after tribal welfare. The Forest Department was given authority to regulate and monitor forest use. Even access to minor forest produce was government-controlled, and communities were burdened with layers of regulation. 'Between 1947 and till the enactment of the FRA in 2006, tribal rights were repeatedly promised but rarely fulfilled. In many regions, communities were displaced without proper compensation or recognition of their rights,' says Sahu. He says that the turning point came with the Forest Rights Act, 2006, which recognised the rights of forest communities over minor forest produce, granting them ownership, access, and the freedom to sell it. 'They can choose where, to who, and at what price to sell. Maharashtra was the first to implement this in Panchayat (Extension to Scheduled Areas) regions, later expanding to non-PESA areas. Other States, including Odisha, were slower to act. Odisha's implementation began primarily in parts of Kalahandi district and remains limited,' he says. Tushar Dash, Director of Vasundhara, a non-government organisation dealing with implementation of FRA, says, 'The sale and trade of minor forest produce must be fully left to the discretion of forest villagers. They should have the autonomy to negotiate with traders or opt to sell through the Forest Department, depending on who offers a better price.' Y. Giri Rao, a consultant on FRA implementation to governments, agrees. 'There is ample evidence that when Gram Sabhas manage forests, they do so more effectively,' he says. 'Where communities have control, forest growth has flourished, fires are better managed, illegal logging has reduced, and the timber mafia has been kept out,' says Rao. Across Odisha, the struggle for ownership over forest resources is marked by confrontations between forest-dwelling communities and the Forest Department. Nearly every Gram Sabha has its own story of resistance and assertion. Although the FRA came into effect in 2006, it wasn't until seven years later — after the intervention by then Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh — that forest dwellers began to assert their rights. On March 3, 2013, the residents of Jamguda village in Kalahandi district were officially granted the right to sell minor forest produce. Ramesh had handed over the transit passbook to Union Tribal Affairs Minister V. Kishore Chandra Deo and Odisha Revenue Minister (late) Surya Narayan Patro. Bhakta Charan Das, then MP and now Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee President, became the first official buyer, purchasing a truckload of bamboo for ₹3,000. The momentum grew. By 2017, six Gram Panchayats in Kalahandi had entered into direct agreements with bidi manufacturers to supply kendu leaves. This move inspired a wave of Gram Sabhas across the region to exercise their rights under the FRA, reclaiming control over traditional forest resources. Now, eight Gram Sabhas in Koraput district have demanded the removal of restrictions on the collection and sale of kendu leaves. 'Kendu leaf is a vital source of income for Adivasi communities in Baipariguda block. Known as 'Green Gold', it generates much-needed cash for forest dwellers. But despite repeated appeals, the Forest Department has shown little interest in deregulating its trade,' says Bidyut Mohanty, a Koraput-based activist. Byasadev Majhi (right), secretary of the Kalahandi Gram Sabha Mahasangha, issuing a transit pass for kendu and bamboo trucks at Pipadi village. | Photo Credit: BISWARANJAN ROUT The government-owned Kendu Leaf Organisation of Odisha has been gradually easing restrictions on the trade. In 2013, the State allowed pluckers, self-help groups, and other community collectives to sell kendu leaves to buyers of their choice in Nabarangpur district. This was followed by deregulation notices in 2014, 2017, 2018, and 2021, each applying to specific villages, blocks, or districts. 'We are surprised that the Forest Department hasn't extended this freedom across Odisha. Why restrict the trade of minor forest produce when villagers are capable of making their own decisions?' Mohanty says. The Tribal Development Cooperative Corporation of Odisha Limited (TDCCOL), a State-run agency, oversees procurement and implements minimum support prices (MSP) for minor forest produce. Currently, 23 items — including seeds from the sal and mahua trees, lac, and honey — are covered under MSP. Byasadev Majhi, Secretary of the Kalahandi Gram Sabha Mahasangha, says, 'We don't dismiss the role of government agencies, but communities should have the autonomy to decide how and where to sell their produce. The State should step in only if traders collude to manipulate the market.' satyasundar.b@ Edited by Sunalini Mathew Published - May 31, 2025 10:39 pm IST
Time of India
12-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
CS asks officials to protect tribal rights during Nagada visit
1 2 Kendrapada: Chief secretary Manoj Ahuja on Monday visited the Nagada hillock in Jajpur district's mineral-rich Sukinda block to assess various development initiatives in the area that once made headlines for malnutrition 2016, Nagada, home to the primitive Juang tribe , drew national attention when 22 children died of malnutrition within three months. Since then, the state govt has implemented various welfare measures to transform it into a model tribal his visit, Ahuja interacted with local tribal residents and reviewed progress in healthcare, nutrition, infrastructure, and electrification projects. He directed officials to organise regular health awareness camps and encouraged tribal women to pursue livestock farming through the Subhadra Yojana scheme. "The govt has provided roads, water, solar lighting, and other essential facilities," Ahuja said. He announced plans to repair roads and install streetlights from Kaliapani to Nagada within a month, emphasising the govt's commitment to tribal development .However, local tribals raised concerns about the discontinued bus service to Nagada, which has affected their access to healthcare and other essential services since 2018. Responding to these concerns, Ahuja instructed the collector to allocate District Mineral Fund (DMF) resources to help tribal youths purchase auto-rickshaws and restore the bus also directed officials to protect tribal interests under the Forest Right Act and ensure proper implementation of welfare schemes. He ordered the construction of water preservation ponds to ensure availability of water throughout the year.
Time of India
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Armed personnel to protect wildlife, forest
Agartala : Tripura govt has embarked on a plan to employ a contingent of dedicated armed forces for the protection of wildlife and forest resources in the state, forest minister Animesh Debbarma said here on Thursday. About 60.02% of Tripura's geographical area has been recorded as forest. According to the forest survey, at least 6,294sqkm out of a total geographical area of 10,486sqkm are still under green cover despite severe onslaught like shifting cultivation, allotment of pattas under Forest Right Act and encroachment. Debbarma said, "The proposal for providing forest guards with automated weapons has already been initiated, and hopefully, the cabinet will clear the nod, and if it is done at least 100 armed task force personnel will be employed to prevent timber smuggling, and illegal sand mining can be prevented substantially." He also proposed the creation of a separate intelligence unit like police along with armed personnel to prevent timber smuggling, destruction of forest, encroachment of forestland, poaching, conduct raids, and actively monitor illegal activities. He said the forest has become vulnerable due to illegal activities, and the situation appears to be challenging for the foresters.
