Forest Rights Act

BJP MPs represent 103 of the 153 Lok Sabha seats in the country where the implementation of the Forest Rights Act 2006 is a major issue, according to a recent report. The Congress, which enacted the FRA, and the Biju Janata Dal represent 11 seats each, Shiv Sena 6, Telangana Rashtra Samithi and YSRCP 5 each, and the National Congress Party 4, the analysis by independent organisation Vasundhara found. Considered a milestone in redressing the historical injustice done to Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers, the Forest Rights Act 2006 aims to recognise forest rights of such communities living in forests for generations. According to the analysis, there are 86 Lok Sabha seats where people demanding forest rights account for over 30 per cent of the electorate. Similarly, there are 45 seats where FRA eligible voters comprise over 40 per cent of the electorate. These include the Khunti Lok Sabha seat where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has repeated Tribal Affairs ...

Environmentalists say the move could vitiate the intent of Forest (Conservation) Rules, which require state governments to certify that compensatory afforestation land is available

The 'Kamar' tribe in Chhattisgarh's Dhamtari district, which is a particularly vulnerable tribal group (PVTG), has received habitat rights, which would help in the protection of their culture and livelihood means and enable the government to work for their development, officials said on Thursday. Kamar is the first PVTG in the state to get such status, they claimed. The Kamar tribe families living in 22 settlements in Magarlod development block of Dhamtari district will be benefited by the move. Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel handed over the habitat rights certificates to heads of these 22 settlements on Wednesday, on the occasion of the World Tribal Day. The Kamar tribe members mainly reside in Gariaband, Dhamtari, Mahasamund and Kanker districts. Their population as per the 2011 census was 26,630, Chhattisgarh's Scheduled Tribe and Scheduled Caste development department commissioner Shammi Abidi told PTI. The recognition of habitat rights under the Forest Rights Act (FRA) would n

Harsh Chouhan's resignation comes after a run-in with the environment ministry over the Forest Conservation Rules 2022, which he said violated the Forest Rights Act, 2006

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Tuesday said his government would take up with the Centre the issue of delay in obtaining Forest Conservation Act (FCA) and Forests Rights Act( FRA) clearances so that developmental projects in the state do not get delayed. Presiding over a forest department meeting here on Tuesday, he said the state government is committed to maintain a balance between development and environment. But development projects of utmost importance like heliports, electric vehicle charging stations and day-boarding schools are affected by the delay in getting FCA and FRA approvals, a statement issued here said. Directing the forest officers to expedite FCA and FRA cases, he said officers will also be held accountable for delays. Earlier, presiding over the 11th meeting of the Himachal Pradesh State Board for Wildlife, Sukhu urged the department to explore tourism potential of activities like water sports and hot air balloon operations in Pong Dam

There are no guidelines for what kinds of forests should be nurtured on land taken up for compensatory afforestation

Set economic growth aside, intensify redistribution

At least 190,000 Adivasis have been forcefully evicted or displaced since 2005 without compensation or rehabilitation, according to six cases documented so far by Land Conflict Watch

Some of India's top wildlife biologists and ecologists believe that the Forest Rights Act gives both tribals and wildlife a fighting chance

Eviction of a few lakh families, instead of millions, is not an option the government should be willing to argue before the SC

The IFA 2019 legally provides the political executive and the forest bureaucracy absolute discretion to open any forestland to commercial plantations

In the fresh petition, filed through lawyer M L Sharma, Larka has alleged that authorities in Tamnar of Raigarh district of Chhattisgarh have forcibly grabbed a large area of tribal land

A detailed analysis by Land Conflict Watch lists the impediments states put in forms of additional conditions and regulations to deny claimants their legitimate rights

On February 13, 2019, the SC ordered that all households whose rights claims under FRA have been rejected should be evicted from forests by July 2019. It later stayed its own order on February 28

Top court gives states four months to file detailed affidavit, slams Centre for "being in slumber" over the years

Asks time for states to file detailed affidavits on implementation of Forest Rights Act; case will be heard on Thursday

Say petition against Forest Rights Act does not help wildlife conservation and should be withdrawn

Mass evictions of tribals make little sense

BJP follows Rahul Gandhi in asking party-ruled states to file plea against SC orders for evicting 1.89 million tribals and forest-dwellers

Supreme Court has asked states to forcibly remove all tribals, forest-dwellers whose claims under the Forest Rights Act have been rejected.