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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Tribal ministry rejects Sonia panel advice by Nitin Sethi

Tribal ministry rejects Sonia panel advice by Nitin Sethi

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published Published on Jan 29, 2011   modified Modified on Jan 29, 2011

The Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council has been snubbed once again by the government, this time by the tribal affairs ministry. The ministry rejected all recommendations made by the council to reform the implementation of the Forest Rights Act — the UPA's flagship programme and law to give land rights back to tribals and forest dwellers.

The National Advisory Council had recommended strong measures for restoration of forest lands to tribals and to provide them access to timber and forest produce.

Its members feel that the recommendations gel with the Congress leadership's stand to put an end to tribal alienation. The war between the council and the government had already spilled out in the open with both of them unable to see eye to eye on key issues like the Right to Information Act, the rural employment guarantee scheme and the food security bill. Now the dismissive response from the tribal affairs ministry on Forest Rights Act is only going to add to the perception of the two not being on the same page.

The National Advisory Council had prepared a set of recommendations advising reforms and changes in the provisions of the Act to facilitate return of alienated lands to tribals. The council approached the task against the backdrop of the Congress leadership's stand that tribal alienation in the heartland had to be brought down in order to arrest the spread of leftwing extremism.

The National Advisory Council's working group on tribal concerns recorded that the Forest Rights Act had been poorly implemented and that its rules were plagued by loopholes. They prepared a note recommending changes.

But first, the National Advisory Council secretariat asked the council members get its note vetted by the tribal affairs and environment ministry. Both sought time to respond, the environment ministry demanding at least a month. The tribal affairs ministry has now shot back a reply claiming none of the changes the council recommends are required and the Act is being implemented just fine.

The recommendations included bringing in transparency into the rights recognition process as too many claims were being rejected across the country.

The council suggested how to reduce arbitrary decisions at the district and lower levels, but these too the ministry found worthless.

The council had noted that collective rights over land and forest resources had been especially neglected during implementation of the law. The National Advisory Council suggested more pro-active involvement of the government to give these rights to villages as well as provide other avenues to the alienated groups in terms of rights over timber in their forestlands.

The ministry rejected any pro-active measures and dismissed the question of rights over timber as being extra-legal. The ministry also rejected any changes to the Act or the rules that would invite penalties for officials who do not implement the Forest Rights Act's provisions.


The Times of India, 29 January, 2011, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Tribal-ministry-rejects-Sonia-panel-advice/articleshow/7383288.cms


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