Himachal tribals protest in Kinaur against Congress govt refusing to provide land under Forest Rights Act, 2006

By A Representative
The tribal district Kinaur has witnessed a huge protest rally against the refusal of the Himachal Pradesh (HP) government for the implementation of Forest Right Act (FRA), 2006. The state government has taken the stand that there is no need to implement FRA, as the issue was “settled” decades ago by the British through the imperial settlement process.
The procession began at the Ambedkar Bhawan with the slogan “adivasiyon aur anay van nivwasiyon ke van adhikar sunishit karo” (recognize the forest rights of schedule tribes and other traditional forest dwellers), and reached the Ramleela Maidan.
People from the rural areas of Kinnaur district, as also hundreds of activists of the Himalaya Niti Abhiyan from all parts of the state – Chamba, Kangra, Mandi, Kullu, Lahaul and Spiti , Sirmour, and Solan – joined in the procession and public rally. Especially present were national secretary, Ashok Shrimali of Mineral Mines and People, and deputy secretary general Roma Malik of the All Indian Forest People’s and Worker’s Union.
Shrimali told the gathering in thousand s of hectare land had been transferred to the hydro power projects, industries and other big projects “without upholding the legal mechanism”, yet schedule tribes and other traditional forest dwellers, who have been living on the forest resources for ages and managing resources traditionally, were denied their rights as provided in the FRA.
Malik said, the UPA government promulgated FRA in 2006 with the objective of undoing the historical injustice to people living in and around the forests and are dependents; “but it is unfortunate that the Congress government in the state has taken no action in recognizing the rights of the peoples even after ten years of the Act in place.”
“It gives the impression that the state government is under the pressure of industry and the forest department”, Malik said, adding, “The forest department all over the country tried to mystified the provisions of the forest right Act, but finally came to the conclusion of recognizing the rights. But in HP the scenario seems just the opposite.”

Malik said, a decision had been taken to hold a big rally in Delhi on December 15 under the banner of the Bhoomi Adhikar Andolan, the apex body of hundreds of organizations, to implement the law under public interest. The rally, she added, would work out a strategy for campaigns, demonstrations and rallies at state and national levels to pressurize the state and national government to implement the law in public interest.
RS Negi of the Him Lok Jagriti Manch said that in Kinnaur district alone around 5,500 claims had been submitted to the district level committees appointed for allocating forest rights, but these committees are refusing to look into the claims.
Worse, Negi said, the forest department is filing false cases against the forest rights claimants, giving them eviction notice. “This is open neglect of FRA. People of Kinnaur will fight against this and ensure their rights under FRA”, he added.
Guman Singh, coordinator, Himalaya Niti Abhiyan, said, a delegation under him met with Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi and former forest and environment minister Jai Ram Ramesh on October 27.
“Gandhi has assured us that the state government would implement FRA in its letter and spirit”, Singh said, adding, “Tribals have been fooled by the state government by asking them to file affidavits they were encroachers on the promise that their lands would be regularized.”
“The situation is unique kin HP. The eviction process can’t be started without recognizing the forest rights under the FRA, the evictions are illegal and unconstitutional”, he declared.

Comments

Plastic burning in homes threatens food, water and air across Global South: Study

By Jag Jivan In a groundbreaking study spanning 26 countries across the Global South , researchers have uncovered the widespread and concerning practice of households burning plastic waste as a fuel for cooking, heating, and other domestic needs. The research, published in Nature Communications , reveals that this hazardous method of managing both waste and energy poverty is driven by systemic failures in municipal services and the unaffordability of clean alternatives, posing severe risks to human health and the environment.

Economic superpower’s social failure? Inequality, malnutrition and crisis of India's democracy

By Vikas Meshram India may be celebrated as one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, but a closer look at who benefits from that growth tells a starkly different story. The recently released World Inequality Report 2026 lays bare a country sharply divided by wealth, privilege and power. According to the report, nearly 65 percent of India’s total wealth is owned by the richest 10 percent of its population, while the bottom half of the country controls barely 6.4 percent. The top one percent—around 14 million people—holds more than 40 percent, the highest concentration since 1961. Meanwhile, the female labour force participation rate is a dismal 15.7 percent.

The greatest threat to our food system: The aggressive push for GM crops

By Bharat Dogra Thanks to the courageous resistance of several leading scientists who continue to speak the truth despite increasing pressures from the powerful GM crop and GM food lobby , the many-sided and in some contexts irreversible environmental and health impacts of GM foods and crops, as well as the highly disruptive effects of this technology on farmers, are widely known today.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Stands 'exposed': Cavalier attitude towards rushed construction of Char Dham project

By Bharat Dogra* The nation heaved a big sigh of relief when the 41 workers trapped in the under-construction Silkyara-Barkot tunnel (Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand) were finally rescued on November 28 after a 17-day rescue effort. All those involved in the rescue effort deserve a big thanks of the entire country. The government deserves appreciation for providing all-round support.

'Restructuring' Sahitya Akademi: Is the ‘Gujarat model’ reaching Delhi?

By Prakash N. Shah* A fortnight and a few days have slipped past that grim event. It was as if the wedding preparations were complete and the groom’s face was about to be unveiled behind the ceremonial tinsel. At 3 PM on December 18, a press conference was poised to announce the Sahitya Akademi Awards .

Epic war against caste system is constitutional responsibility of elected government

Edited by well-known Gujarat Dalit rights leader Martin Macwan, the book, “Bhed-Bharat: An Account of Injustice and Atrocities on Dalits and Adivasis (2014-18)” (available in English and Gujarati*) is a selection of news articles on Dalits and Adivasis (2014-2018) published by Dalit Shakti Prakashan, Ahmedabad. Preface to the book, in which Macwan seeks to answer key questions on why the book is needed today: *** The thought of compiling a book on atrocities on Dalits and thus present an overall Indian picture had occurred to me a long time ago. Absence of such a comprehensive picture is a major reason for a weak social and political consciousness among Dalits as well as non-Dalits. But gradually the idea took a different form. I found that lay readers don’t understand numbers and don’t like to read well-researched articles. The best way to reach out to them was storytelling. As I started writing in Gujarati and sharing the idea of the book with my friends, it occurred to me that while...

The illusion of nuclear abundance: Why NTPC’s expansion demands public scrutiny

By Shankar Sharma* The recent news that NTPC is scouting 30 potential sites across India for a massive nuclear power expansion should be a wake-up call for every citizen. While the state-owned utility frames this as a bold stride toward a 100,000 MW nuclear capacity by 2047, a cold look at India’s nuclear saga over the last few decades suggests this ambition may be more illusory than achievable. More importantly, it carries implications that could fundamentally alter the safety, environment, and economic health of our communities.

The war on junk food: Why India must adopt global warning labels

By Jag Jivan The global health landscape is witnessing a decisive shift toward aggressive regulation of the food industry, a movement highlighted by two significant policy developments shared by Dr. Arun Gupta of the Nutrition Advocacy for Public Interest (NAPi).

Search This Blog