Govt divided over tribal Bill

The Scheduled Tribes (Recognition of Forest Rights) Bill 2005 is nowhere near translating into entitlements for the country's tribal communities as a stand-off continues within the government on what comprises forest rights.

The divide was underlined once again today as the matter was raised in the Upper House, and the government was unable to give an assurance on when the Bill would be tabled.

A joint parliamentary committee (JPC) had been set up to sort out contentious issues. However, the recommendations of the JPC that found wide acceptance from the tribal affairs ministry, Left parties and many in the Congress and most of the NDA, had been rejected by the government.

A group of ministers (GoM), led by Defence Minister Pranab Mukherji, had then been asked to sort out sticky issues.

The GoM has now spiked most of the key recommendations of the JPC, including the extension of the cut-off date for recognising land rights of tribals from 1980 to 2005 and benefits of the Bill to non-tribal forest dwellers.

The JPC was for allowing gram sabha and taluk sabhas to be treated as appellate authorities, which would review appeals and claims of entitlements of tribals. The GoM, however, rejects this move and wants the matter to go to the district authorities.

Tribal leaders say no tribal has the resources to take his appeal to the district level. Tribal rights activists said the GoM was nothing but an indirect move of the government to ensure that the environment and forest ministry's stakes did not suffer. The GoM is known to have the support of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Sources in the government associated with the Bill said there was no possibility of a climbdown on the key clauses in the Bill, the 1980 cut-off date and the restriction of the Bill to tribals.

Meanwhile, tribal groups have started a protest in the Capital to press for acceptance of the JPC recommendations. They are getting support from CPM leaders like Brinda Karat and Congress MP Ajit Jogi.