2005 - Indian Social Institute

(UPA) was committed to grant rights to tribals under its national common minimum programme (NCMP).
Giving details of the meeting that went on till late in the evening, Dr. Singh's media adviser Sanjaya Baru
told reporters that the Prime Minister wanted the concerns of the environmentalists and those working for
tribal rights to be addressed before a final draft was prepared. As of now, there are two drafts: one
prepared by the Ministry of Environment and Forests and another by the Tribal Affairs Ministry. A Group of
Ministers is also looking into the matter. Before leaving for another meeting, Dr. Singh heard the members
for a good two hours. He told them to arrive at a consensus in the coming days. Dr. Singh suggested the
holding of a workshop for stakeholders to iron out differences, Mr. Baru said. The issues that come up
during the discussion included the livelihood of displaced forest dwellers the denial of which amounted to a
violation of human rights, the threat posed to tigers if they co-existed with humans and problems related to
forest management. Among those present were social activists Jean Dreze and Aruna Roy and wildlife
activist Valmik Thapar. (The Hindu 1/10/05)
Tribals aim high with studies (6)
Karimnagar, Oct. 1: A revolution is on in Naxal-affected Garjanapalli — a revolution in education.This
remote village in the Maoist hotbed of Yellareddypet mandal in Karimnagar has discovered that education
is the key to escape. And they are pursuing education in real earnest. Situated close to the dense Manala
forests, the village, which houses about 1,500 Lambada tribals, is steeped in poverty. Amenities are
woefully inadequate and even sick people have to be taken long distances by bullock cart to get medical
attention. The village had made news earlier as it had witnessed much bloodshed and was home to many
Naxalite leaders, including the Janashakti district secretary Ranadheer. However, the villagers decided to
change their own fate. Now, the village is making news for different reasons. Over the years, village elders
have persuaded young men to pursue education vigorously. The tribals used all possible avenues to get
schooling. The tiny hamlet has produced 300 government employees, including teachers, engineers,
policemen, RTC drivers and conductors. Tirupathi Naik, a recent recipient of the best teacher award, is
one among the 25 teachers who belong to the village. Similarly, Ramulu, an assistant engineer of
APTransco, and circle inspector Ramreddy are proud sons of the village. Garjanapalli also boasts 105
police constables and 50 RTC employees, mostly drivers. (Asian Age 2/10/05)
Protest against inclusion of Gurjars in ST list (6)
Jaipur : Members of the Meena community, a predominant schedule tribe in the State, held a rally here on
Sunday to protest against the alleged move to include some more communities, particularly Gurjars, in the
list of scheduled tribes. All the 31 MLAs, belonging to different political parties, were present at the rally to
show their solidarity on the issue. The leaders said there was no justification for inclusion of some more
castes and communities in the ST category, as these communities were enjoying a better status socially
and economically. Last month, Gurjar Mahasbha had held a rally in the State capital to press for its
demand for the inclusion of Gurjars in the ST category. At present, this community comes under Other
Backward Class (OBC) category. Its leader said that like other ST population, including Meenas, they
earned their livelihood from forest and were eligible to be considered as ST. After the Mahasabha rally, the
State Government had constituted a committee to consider the demand. This has evoked sharp reaction
among the Meenas. (Pioneer 3/10/05)
``Table tribal rights Bill in winter session'' (6)
NEW DELHI: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has demanded tabling of the Scheduled Tribes
(Recognition of Rights) Bill in the winter session of Parliament. Suggesting amendments to uphold the
rights of tribals, the CPI (M) on Wednesday warned against any attempts to dilute the Bill. Addressing a
press conference here, CPI (M) Polit Bureau members Brinda Karat and Biman Basu said it was
unfortunate that the Bill, introduced to meet the demand of tribals for recognition of their traditional rights
in forests, including access to minor forest produce, should be delayed on `specious grounds'. The
decision to press for the Bill was taken at the party's Tribal Coordination Committee discussions here on
Tuesday and Wednesday. An amendment suggested was removal of the cut-off date of 1980, which, if
implemented, would lead to mass eviction of tribals. Another related issue was the ceiling of 2.5 hectares
of land proposed in the Bill on tribal holdings which, the committee said, was far less than the land ceilings
in the States for non-tribal sections. This might lead to disentitlement of adult sons and daughters, who
have been cultivating land but may not have legal evidence of it. "Also, the crucial issue of development of
tribal habitations and provision of minimum facilities like drinking water, health care and roads have been