Odisha tribals oppose government's "forced" plantation on forest land, "undermining" other forest dwellers' rights

By A Representative

Hundreds of tribals and forest dwellers under the banner of Campaign for Survival and Dignity (CSD) marched in Bhubaneswar to protest against the Odisha government “violating” Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006, in the state by forcing plantation over occupied forest lands in different districts, even as refusing in large numbers individual and community rights to tribal and non-tribal forest dwellers over forest land.
The protest rally started from Master Canteen and marched towards Lower PMG, where a public meeting was organised. The protesters gave slogans “Gram Sabha Sarkar Zindabad”, “Gosti Adhikar Aamar Dabi”, “Samasta Swikruti Praptya Jungle Jami Chinhata Kara”, “Ana Adibasira Byaktigat Jungle Adhikar Ku Mannyata Dia”, “Jungle Gaaonku Rajaswa Gaaon re Parinata Kara”, and so on.
Gopinath Majhi, CSD’s Odisha convenor, said, “The protest march has been organised to protest against the Forest Department for doing plantation over the occupied forest lands in different districts and for launching anti-FRA Ama Jungle Yojana, Banayana and Japan International Cooperative Agency (JICA) project. “
He added, “It has also been organised to counter chief minister Navin Patnaik, who is misguiding the forest dwellers by seeking amendment in FRA, failure to recognize community forest fights in the State, and the Odisha government not allowing six Gram Sabhas in Golamunda block of Kalahandi district to do independent business of tendu leaf.”
Pradeep Sahoo, senior CSD member, addressing the rally, said, “While the Odisha government is claiming to be No 1 state in the country, in the last eight years of FRA implementation, the state government has undermined the authority of the Gram Sabha Sarkar, haphazardly issuing individual forest rights (IFR) titles without identifying eligibility.”
Questioning a statement recently made by Patnaik, Sahoo said, “As per the FRA State-Level Monitoring Committee (SLMC) report by April 30, 2017, 1,042 IFR claims of Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (OTFDs) have been approved at district-level committee (DLC) level, and 628 OTFDs have issued IFR titles, including 555 in Sundargarh, 15 in Angul, 11 in Rayagarda and 47 in Malkangiri districts.”
“If OTFDs of these districts are eligible under FRA, 2006, how OTFDs living in other districts are ineligible?”, he wondered.

Anna Kujur from Sundargarh criticized the government machinery saying, “Most of the community forest rights (CFR) claims filed by Gram Sabha are pending at the SDLCs for years in all districts, and it is disappointing that the state government is openly violating FRA by introducing anti-FRA schemes and programmes like Aama Jungle Yojana, Banayana and JICA project and promoting anti-FRA vana suraksha samitis (VSS).”
Hiralal Majhi of Nuapada district criticized the state forest department for forcible plantation on cultivable forest land and relocating tribals from sanctuaries, even as condemning the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) for its circulars restricting FRA implementation in tiger reserves and demanding its immediate withdrawal.
Meanwhile, CSD has urged the state government to review all the 1,49,150 rejected IFR claims and pending cases, even as raising serious concern over forcing Gram Sabhas to allow divert forest land for non-forestry projects.
In a memorandum, it has asked the Governor of Odisha to direct the Government of India and the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) for speedy withdrawal of the March 28 NTCA “illegal” order and to take action against the officials responsible allowing eviction from sanctuaries against forest dwellers’ will. It insisted, those who have been evicted be relocated.

Comments

Grueling summer ahead: Cuttack’s alarming health trends and what they mean for Odisha

By Sudhansu R Das The preparation to face the summer should begin early in Odisha. People in the state endure long, grueling summer months starting from mid-February and extending until the end of October. This prolonged heat adversely affects productivity, causes deaths and diseases, and impacts agriculture, tourism and the unorganized sector. The social, economic and cultural life of the state remains severely disrupted during the peak heat months.

Stronger India–Russia partnership highlights a missed energy breakthrough

By N.S. Venkataraman* The recent visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to India was widely publicized across several countries and has attracted significant global attention. The warmth with which Mr. Putin was received by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was particularly noted, prompting policy planners worldwide to examine the implications of this cordial relationship for the global economy and political climate. India–Russia relations have stood on a strong foundation for decades and have consistently withstood geopolitical shifts. This is in marked contrast to India’s ties with the United States, which have experienced fluctuations under different U.S. administrations.

From natural farming to fair prices: Young entrepreneurs show a new path

By Bharat Dogra There have been frequent debates on agro-business companies not showing adequate concern for the livelihoods of small farmers. Farmers’ unions have often protested—generally with good reason—that while they do not receive fair returns despite high risks and hard work, corporate interests that merely process the crops produced by farmers earn disproportionately high profits. Hence, there is a growing demand for alternative models of agro-business development that demonstrate genuine commitment to protecting farmer livelihoods.

The Vande Mataram debate and the politics of manufactured controversy

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* The recent Vande Mataram debate in Parliament was never meant to foster genuine dialogue. Each political party spoke past the other, addressing its own constituency, ensuring that clips went viral rather than contributing to meaningful deliberation. The objective was clear: to construct a Hindutva narrative ahead of the Bengal elections. Predictably, the Lok Sabha will likely expunge the opposition’s “controversial” remarks while retaining blatant inaccuracies voiced by ministers and ruling-party members. The BJP has mastered the art of inserting distortions into parliamentary records to provide them with a veneer of historical legitimacy.

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor* This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

Why India must urgently strengthen its policies for an ageing population

By Bharat Dogra A quiet but far-reaching demographic transformation is reshaping much of the world. As life expectancy rises and birth rates fall, societies are witnessing a rapid increase in the proportion of older people. This shift has profound implications for public policy, and the need to strengthen frameworks for healthy and secure ageing has never been more urgent. India is among the countries where these pressures will intensify most sharply in the coming decades.

The cost of being Indian: How inequality and market logic redefine rights

By Vikas Gupta We, the people of India, are engaged in a daily tryst—read: struggle—for basic human rights. For the seemingly well-to-do, the wish list includes constant water supply, clean air, safe roads, punctual public transportation, and crime-free neighbourhoods. For those further down the ladder, the struggle is starker: food that fills the stomach, water that doesn’t sicken, medicines that don’t kill, houses that don’t flood, habitats at safe distances from polluted streams or garbage piles, and exploitation-free environments in the public institutions they are compelled to navigate.

Thota Sitaramaiah: An internal pillar of an underground organisation

By Harsh Thakor* Thota Sitaramaiah was regarded within his circles as an example of the many individuals whose work in various underground movements remained largely unknown to the wider public. While some leaders become visible through organisational roles or media attention, many others contribute quietly, without public recognition. Sitaramaiah was considered one such figure. He passed away on December 8, 2025, at the age of 65.

Bangladesh alternative more vital for NE India than Kaladan project in Myanmar

By Mehjabin Bhanu* There has been a recent surge in the number of Chin refugees entering Mizoram from the adjacent nation as a result of airstrikes by the Myanmar Army on ethnic insurgents and intense fighting along the border between India and Myanmar. Uncertainty has surrounded India's Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport project, which uses Sittwe port in Myanmar, due to the recent outbreak of hostilities along the Mizoram-Myanmar border. Construction on the road portion of the Kaladan project, which runs from Paletwa in Myanmar to Zorinpui in Mizoram, was resumed thanks to the time of relative calm during the intermittent period. However, recent unrest has increased concerns about missing the revised commissioning goal dates. The project's goal is to link northeastern states with the rest of India via an alternate route, using the Sittwe port in Myanmar. In addition to this route, India can also connect the region with the rest of India through Assam by using the Chittagon...

Search This Blog