-Scroll.in They complain that the state treats ordinary villagers opposing mining in the Surjagarh forest no different than it does the Maoists. Nestled deep in the Surjagarh forest of Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district, Gatta seems a serene village. Most people grow their rice, sell tendu leaves, celebrate with mahua and enjoy the lush overgrowth around them. But a closer look throws up a different picture. Reaching Gatta from Allapally, the nearest town in...

-The Times of India Post Kathua, these nomadic people are struggling to protect their daughters, as well as their rights over open pastures Bashir Hussain worries constantly for his five-year-old daughter Najma, ever since the horrific gang-rape and murder in Kathua. “What will I do if something happens to her? What happened to the eight-year-old Bakerwal girl could happen only because we have no rights over forests and pastures in this state....

-The Hindu Land owners get money, those who till get nothing CHANDA (T) (ADILABAD DISRICT): Chanda (T), the village where the Rythu Bandhu programme was launched by Forest Minister Jogu Ramanna in Adilabad district on Thursday threw up a curious scenario as only those who could seemingly do without investment support receiving it and those who forcefully lay claim to it by virtue of being poor landless being ignored. Yes, almost all those...

-The Indian Express Out of the 1,400 hectares required for the bullet train project in Maharashtra and Gujarat, 353 hectares will be required from Maharashtra. Mumbai: The Maharashtra forest department has raised queries regarding a proposal submitted by the National High-Speed Railway Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) seeking to divert 77.45 hectares of Forest Land in the state for the proposed Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project. Calling the proposal incomplete, the state government has...

-The Indian Express In the battle over jungle and tribal land, deep mistrust divides natural allies. As India gives shape to its new forest policy, the votaries of forest conservation and tribal rights have come out strongly against commercial extraction of forests that undermines both local communities and ecology. It is a timely show of strength since the draft policy seeks to measure the productivity of our forests by the quantity of...