TRIBALS – 2007 - Indian Social Institute

schemes, alleged villagers and the Juang Jibika Sampark Committee, Keonjhar unit. More thantwo hundred Juangs, one of the primitive tribes of Orissa, live in these places like other areas ofHarichandanpur, Banspal and Telkoi blocks. They have not been able to practice their traditionalcultivation because of menace of wild elephants that have been pestering them for the past twoyears. While Kalia Juang (50), Malati Juang (25), Sunu Juang (15) and Kalandhei Juang died,Pedha Juang, Hari Juang, Ranga Juang, and Ganesh Juang are reportedly struggling for theirlives. Statutorily work is neither being carried out under the National Rural EmploymentGuarantee Scheme (NREGS), Rashtriya Sam Vikas Yojana (RSVY) nor is the compensatoryafforestation in Ghatagaon Block being done. Tangible work has not been taken up by theIntegrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) or the Juang Development Agency (JDA), allegesconvener of Juang Jibika Sampark Committee Ramesh Ch Juang. The Juang tribe is one out ofthe total 78 primitive tribes in the entire country and has been included in the fifth schedule of theConstitution, but reports on the decline of population due to low literacy rates, unsettlement oflands and per agricultural pattern of livelihood still continue to be news. (Pioneer 30/11/07)Tribals demand legal claim of forests (6)New Delhi, Dec. 2: Tribals and forest dwellers from Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh andRajasthan recount tales of how the state governments are evicting them from their homes wherethey have lived for generations even when the Forest Rights Act has been passed 11 monthsago. An activist informed that on paper India has a lot more forest cover than it is in real terms.This is because the British and later even the Indian government declared many regions asprotected forest area though there were no forests there and people since then have beenfighting for their land. They say that the government is destroying their crops and instead plantingJatropa plants in order to take control of the land which they have tilted since decades. They arehere in the city to pressurise the Central government to notify the Forest Rights Act so that theevictions are stopped and they are given their rightful claims. Adivasi woman Premila Sharmafrom Mohla Tehsil in Rajnangaon district in Chhattisgarh said she and other women of hercommunity has formed a group called Jagriti in 1997 to fight the government so that their land isnot taken away. Since 10 years they have prevented forest officials from taking away their landsbut she feels that once the notification for the Forest Rights Act is done, she will have a legalclaim and not be harassed. Ms Sharma, (her last name is actually a caste name of Adivasis inChhattisgarh) said, "The forest officials keep on destroying the crops which we have planted onthe land my family has tilted through generations. The forest department is instead plantingJatropa trees on this land claiming that it is forest land. But we fight them even if it costs us ourlives." About the allegations of tribals destroying forests and animals, Ms Sharma said that forestare better preserved only where Adivasis live, in other places, the government has declaredplaces as forest area but there are no forests there. She said that wild animals are scared of themand they do not kill them but these false stories are spread by corrupt forest officials whothemselves are cutting forest trees and selling them to outsiders. Adivasi Gajanand Brahmane,from the Bhil community in Sedhwa Tehsil at Badwani district in MP, is one such person who livesin a place which the government declared as forest land though he said the land was tilted sincewell before he was born. He said the forest officials declared the land as protected forest area butthere are no forests there. He added, "If I and my family wants to see wild animals we travel tothe zoo in Indore to see them. At my home and farm I haven’t even seen rabbits, let alone biganimals." He said each year the forest department spends lakhs of rupees in the name of treeplanting but in Badwani even the office of the district forest officer, district magistrate, subdivisionalmagistrate and collector do not have trees though they are planted each year. He saidanimals either each the plants or they are not watered and therefore die. (Times of India 1/12/07)Adivasi, tea tribes organisations issue ultimatum (6)Guwahati: Adivasi and tea tribes organisations have issued an ultimatum that the Centre and theAssam government should clarify, within 15 days, their stand on including them in the list ofScheduled Tribes. The ultimatum was issued after a five-hour meeting of Adivasi and tea tribeorganisations and political leaders representing the communities. It was convened by the All-Assam Tea Tribe Students’ Association (AATTSA). The AATTSA and the All-Adivasi Students’Association of Assam (AASAA) also announced a ban on the entry of political parties in tea