2005 - Indian Social Institute

encroachments on forest land in the garb of tribals and forest dwellers". In fact, claim officials, they are
already getting reports of fresh encroachment from Maharashtra.
So far, they have got no response from the PM's office. What has come out is a response from the
Campaign for Survival and Dignity, which officially espouses the tribal cause. It condemns the
"misinformation" and "false alarm" and claims that the best forests are in tribal areas, while 60% of the
forests under the environment and forest ministry's charge has been reduced to wastelands. Within the
ministry, however, genuine concerns forced the unprecedented hardline stance of completely rejecting the
draft Bill. In a recent representation to the PM, the Indian Forest Service Association's Delhi unit followed it
up and sought a relook at the Bill. They say it will mean the country can never hope to achieve its target of
33% forest and tree cover and it will lead to a further loss of prime wildlife habitat, putting a question mark
even on national parks and sanctuaries — a sensitive issue since concerns on the tiger brought it to the
fore. (Times of India 23/4/05)
UPA's Tribal Bill: Tiger’s death warrant (6)
New Delhi: IF THE PMO and UPA have their way and The Scheduled Tribes (Recognition of Forest
Rights) Bill, 2005, is passed this Parliament session, India stands to lose 60 per cent of its forest cover.
Under the proposed Act, each nuclear family of a forest-dwelling Scheduled Tribes will be given land up to
2.5 hectares. It's estimated that once the land is doled out, over 60 per cent of India's forests would be
handed over to 8.2 per cent of its population. In January, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had chaired a
meeting approving the Bill. If passed, Scheduled Tribes will have access to and ownership of minor forest
produce, rights of grazing and access to traditional seasonal resources. Besides, they will have the right to
self-cultivation. All of the above, cautions the Bill, can be exercised for 'bonafide' livelihood needs, though
how this will be ascertained and policed remains questionable. The rationale being offered is that the Bill
will 'correct the historical injustice.' It argues that forest rights on ancestral lands and habitat were not
recognised when lands were consolidated under forest areas during the colonial period as well as in
independent India. The proposed Act will override the Forest Conservation Act (FCA), 1980
and the Wildlife Protection Act (WPA), 1972 — measures that were initiated and piloted by then Prime
Minister, Indira Gandhi. The powers of policing will vest with Gram Sabhas, making the Forest Department
redundant. "The Indian Forest Service might as weE pack up," says a highly-placed source in the Ministry
of Environment and Forests (MoEF). (Pioneer 24/4/05)
Tribals all set to gain rights over forests (6)
New Delhi: It could well become the ' Magna Carta for forest dwelling tribals. Cleared by the law ministry
late on Tuesday night after months of turf war between the ministries of environment and forest and tribal
affairs, the Scheduled Tribes (Recognition of Forest Rights) Bill lives up to the initial promise of
resuscitating the manki munda raj (rule of tribal chiefs). Proclaiming correction of "historical injustice
before it is too late to save our forests from becoming the abode of undesirable elements", the Bill at one
stroke seeks to return to the tribals their traditional rights on a host of issues which have been at the heart
of the conservation debate. It proposes 12 specific rights — "heritable but not alienable or transferable" —
to tribals of forest villages. These include: Right to hold and live in the forest land under the individual or
common occupation for habitation or for self-cultivation for livelihood , Right of access, use or disposal of
minor forest produce
Rights of entitlement such as grazing and traditional seasonal resource access of nomadic or pastoralist
communities, Rights in or over disputed lands under any nomenclature in any state where claims are
disputed * Rights for conversion of pattas or leases or grants issued by any local authority or any state
government on forest lands to titles * Rights of settlement of old habitations and unsurveyed villages,
whether notified or not, Right to protect, regenerate or conserve or manage any community forest
resource which they have been traditionally protecting and conserving. (Times of India 28/4/05)
May – 2005
"Tribal Rights Bill could lead to societal division" (6)
NEW DELHI: The Scheduled Tribes (Recognition of Forest Rights) Bill, 2005 has drawn criticism from
various quarters. Social groups and environmentalists believe that the Bill, if implemented in the present