Latest news with #ScheduledTribesandOtherTraditionalForestDwellers(RecognitionofForestRights)Act
New Indian Express
03-08-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Dr Aruna Basu Sarkar: Torchbearer of tribal justice
TIRUCHY: In the deep heartlands of Tamil Nadu's forests, a silent struggle has been playing out for decades — one of survival, identity, and recognition. While the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act was passed in 2006 and notified in 2007 to correct historical injustices, its implementation remains a distant dream for many. Seventeen years on, the state of Tamil Nadu still lags behind, and the voices of its tribal communities continue to be stifled. Dr Aruna Basu Sarkar, a retired Indian Forest Service officer, has been a rare voice persistently advocating for these marginalised communities. With over 30 years of service across various roles — from District Forest Officer to Principal Chief Conservator of Forests — she has witnessed firsthand the systemic negligence and exploitation faced by tribal people from middlemen, government departments, and even local politicians. 'When forests were declared reserve areas, the traditional rights of forest dwellers were never documented. The law aimed to correct this, but in Tamil Nadu, it has remained mostly on paper,' Aruna explained. What's worse, even now, neither the English nor the Tamil edition of the law has been made widely available by the nodal agency — the Tribal Welfare Department. According to Dr Sarkar, the biggest misunderstanding among forest and revenue officials is equating forest rights with land ownership. 'Most of these forest-dependent communities are landless. What they need is community forest rights — like the right to collect forest produce, graze cattle, or pursue traditional forest-based occupations,' she emphasised. She also raised concerns about how the Joint Forest Management (JFM) programme, introduced in 1997 as a participatory forest management initiative, ended up becoming a tool for exploitation. 'It turned into a system where forest officials and former contractors used tribal labour as bonded labour. These so-called Tribal Village Committees created under JFM have only made things worse,' she alleged.
Time of India
01-08-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Himanta: Non-tribals on forest land will be evicted — period
1 2 Guwahati: Amid Assam's most aggressive land reclamation drive to date, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said he has ordered a sweeping crackdown on forest encroachments across all districts of the state. He said here on Friday that all district commissioners have been tasked with conducting immediate surveys and initiating evictions, sparing only those protected under the Forest Rights Act, 2006 (Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006). The directive is clear—enforce the law and reclaim the land. "Tribal communities who lived in forests before 2005 are protected under law. Everyone else will be evicted, period," Sarma said here on Friday, adding that the scale of encroachment is staggering. "Even at one eviction per month, it will take a decade to reclaim the land," he added. Since May 2021, when Sarma's government came to power, over 1.19 lakh bighas (approximately 160 sq km) of land has been cleared, evicting nearly 50,000 people. This includes 84,743 bighas (113 sq km) of forest land and 26,713 bighas (35.6 sq km) of general government ('khas') land. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Free P2,000 GCash eGift UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo Despite this, an alarming 63 lakh bighas (8400 sq km) — including 29 lakh bighas (3866 sq km) of forest land — remain under illegal occupation. On Thursday, the government carried out its largest single eviction yet, clearing 3,305.78 acres in Uriamghat, Golaghat district, along the Assam-Nagaland border. The ongoing operation targets the Rengma Reserve Forest, aiming to clear 1,500 hectares currently occupied by nearly 1,500 families, primarily Bengali-speaking Muslims. Many of them claim displacement from riverine 'char' areas due to erosion by the Brahmaputra. The eviction entered its fourth straight day on Friday across six villages, with no reports of violence. But the message from Dispur is clear, unauthorised settlement—regardless of community—is not negotiable. Sarma has reiterated that the drive will also extend to village grazing reserves (VGR), professional grazing reserves (PGR), satras, namghars, and other public lands. "This is about reclaiming Assam's land, restoring ecological balance, and enforcing the rule of law," he said.
Time of India
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
North Goa collector clears 60 forest rights claims
Lucknow, July 16 (IANS) As part of the 'Ek Ped Maa ke Naam 2.0' initiative, the Uttar Pradesh government is set to launch a series of thematic forests across the state. The drive will begin on Friday, July 18, in Mirzapur, where the work to develop 'Eklavya Van' will be kick-started. Panaji: North Goa collector Ankit Yadav chaired a meeting of the district level committee (DLC) on Tuesday, where 108 claims under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act were taken up for screening. The committee approved 60 cases, while 30 cases were rejected as the applicants claimed revenue land or land owned by the Goa Forest Development Corporation. Yadav also sent 17 claims back to the sub-divisional level committee (SDLC) for further clarification after discrepancies were noticed in the size of the land being claimed. The collector has been chairing one meeting every week ever since chief minister Pramod Sawant announced a fast-track schedule to clear pending claims. Goa has about 10,500 applications for forest rights, of which 870 cases were cleared, and 949 cases were rejected prior to the fast-track schedule. Of the 10,500 applications, about 8,000 remain pending — 2,000 at the gram sabha level and 3,500 with the deputy collectors. 'Claims that were sent back to the sub-divisional level committee had a contradiction in the area during spot verification, and there was no justification given for the difference in the findings,' said Yadav. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Lahodné Primitivo v degustačním balení nyní o 58 % levněji Zkusit nyní Undo With the monsoon session of the legislative assembly set to commence on Monday, the DLC will pause the weekly meetings and continue once the assembly session concludes. 'Thirty cases were rejected as they are on revenue land or land that belongs to Goa Forest Development Corporation, and this land is being auctioned for cashew plantations, so no single person can claim ownership,' said Yadav. Sawant has directed the two district collectors to ensure that by Dec 19, all applications have to be processed and decided upon. Applications to recognise the rights of forest-dwelling communities have been pending since 2006. The current process requires the claims to be approved by the respective gram sabha, after which the file is sent for the SDLC's approval. Once the SDLC clears the application, the respective DLC grants the final nod, and the collector issues the sanad certificate.
Hans India
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Congress revamp: LoP Gandhi aims to nurture tribal leaders in all districts
New Delhi: The Congress on Friday shared a video of Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi highlighting his plan to nurture tribal leaders and support their community's fight against social injustice and dispossession of land due to digitalisation. The six-minute video shows LoP Rahul Gandhi voicing the party's solidarity with tribals and the Congress' resolve to stand with them to fight for their rights. 'My interest is to nurture tribal leaders in the party. We want the dynamic leaders who are serious about serving the community to step forward and hold posts of district heads, along with those from communities like Dalits, OBCs and others,' LoP Gandhi said. "We have launched an experiment in Gujarat and appointed 41 district heads and the situation is bound to improve in the times to come when their united and empowered voice gains strength," LoP Gandhi said. 'Across the country, we are going to empower district presidents to function as nodal officers and run the party, uphold the ideology of the Congress and add new members,' he said, adding that the party would offer financial support to district heads. The LoP said the party wants decisions to be taken in districts like Ahmedabad and Banaskantha not Delhi. 'It will take some time but we want 10-15 tribal leaders to be groomed in each district. We want leaders who can relate with people on the ground and offer solutions to their problems,' the Congress MP said. Rahul Gandhi also discussed problems of tribals after digitalisation of land records and their loss of ownership. One of the suggestions discussed was to set up a tribal legal council which would argue cases of land ownership of tribals in courts. The non-creation of forest right committees under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 in the country was also raised by one of the tribal leaders during the meeting.
The Print
15-06-2025
- Politics
- The Print
Goa govt holds camps to fast-track forest rights claims of tribals
A government spokesman said 1,635 claimants participated in camps across six talukas and received assistance in filing and processing their claims. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant recently announced that all pending cases under the Act would be disposed of by December 19. The day is celebrated to mark Goa's Liberation from 450-year-long Portuguese colonial rule. Panaji, Jun 15 (PTI) The Goa government on Sunday organised camps across six talukas to assist tribal and forest-dwelling communities in resolving long-pending claims under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006. 'The presence of local tribal leaders, village-level forest rights committees, Gram Sabha members, and other key stakeholders ensured the initiative was both grassroots-driven and outcomes-focused,' the spokesman said. The camps were conducted in Sattari, Ponda, Dharbandora, Sanguem, Canacona, and Quepem talukas, he said. The initiative was jointly conducted by the district administration, tribal welfare and forest departments, with full administrative coordination from deputy collectors and sub-divisional officers, the official said. The chief minister, in a statement, emphasised the state government's commitment to implementing PM Modi's vision with full responsibility and speed. He said the camps demonstrate the power of coordinated governance and the importance of reaching every citizen in need. These efforts are part of a broader mission led by PM Modi's government to strengthen tribal rights, protect forest-dwelling communities, and ensure that development is inclusive, transparent, and time-bound, Sawant added. PTI RPS ARU This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
