Odisha govt "obstructing" tribal gram sabhas seeking to do business in kendu leaf: Letter to chief minister

By Our Representative
Well-known civil rights organization, National Campaign for Survival and Dignity (CSD), has urged Naveen Patnaik, chief minister of Odisha, to allow six tribal gram sabhas to resume their kendu leaves business. In a letter, CSD has blamed the state forest officials for "violating" Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006 by "interfering" the gram sabhas seeking to trade in the leaves.
Six villages, Kalipur, Kanakpur, Kasturapadar, Jamjharan, Jamgudabahali and Khasiguda, all of the Golamunda block of Kalahandi district, started kendu leaf collection in the first week of May 2017 and contacted a kendu leaf businessman from Maharashtra and even entered into business contract.
But, according to CSD, forest officials in the district "obstructed their business activities and refused to allow them to sell their produce saying kendu trade is nationalised in the state." At the same time, it added, "Forest department officials also threatened the Maharashtra businessman who had done business contract with the six gram sabhas."
As a result, said CSD, the businessman left the leaves the tribals had collected and the villagers are now running pillar to post to dispose of the collected leaves.
Pointing out that the villagers have already approached senior government officials, including the district collector, the forest secretary, and the SC-ST minister, the letter said, they have "failed" to change things. Calling the state officials' attitude "criminal", it said, they should be tried under the FRA and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.”
Referring to the July 3 letter sent by Jual Oram, Union minister for tribal affairs, to Patnaik to "resolve the issue of six villages", CSD said, despite the letter, "till date forest officials of the area continue to maintain their stand and have not allowed the six gram sabhas to resumes the business."
The CSD further said, the forest department of Odisha has also ignored the July 22 letter vide No 13125, which mentions violation of FRA, 2006 by a Kalahandi forest official who has been "obstructing" kendu leave business being carried out by the six gram sabhas.
"In light of the requirements of law in this situation, and given your own stated position on the issue, we call upon your government to immediately direct the forest department to halt its illegal obstruction of the rights of the six villages. If this is not done soon, these villages will lose lakhs of rupees worth of revenue this year", the letter warned.
A national platform of adivasi and forest dwellers' organisations from 11 states, CSD has been closely involved in the struggle for the enactment and enforcement of the FRA, 2006.
Calling the forest officials ways "a matter of grave concern", the letter said, the villagers have been "fighting for the right to freely sell the kendu leaves that they collect" for quite time, asking Patnaik to ensure that the forest department halts "its illegal obstruction of the rights of the six villages".

Comments

Importance of Bangladesh for India amidst 'growing might' of China in South Asia

By Samara Ashrat* The basic key factor behind the geopolitical importance of Bangladesh is its geographical location. The country shares land borders with Myanmar and India. Due to its geographical position, Bangladesh is a natural link between South Asia and Southeast Asia. The country is also a vital geopolitical ally to India, in that it has the potential to facilitate greater integration between Northeast India and Mainland India. Not only that, due to its open access to the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh has become significant to both China and the US.

Unlike other revolutionaries, Hindutva icon wrote 5 mercy petitions to British masters

By Shamsul Islam* The Hindutva icon VD Savarkar of the RSS-BJP rulers of India submitted not one, two,or three but five mercy petitions to the British masters! Savarkarites argue: “There are no evidences to prove that Savarkar collaborated with the British for his release from jail. In fact, his appeal for release was a ruse. He was well aware of the political developments outside and wanted to be part of it. So he kept requesting for his release. But the British authorities did not trust him a bit” (YD Phadke, ‘A complex Hero’, "The Indian Expres"s, August 31, 2004)

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.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Our Representative Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

'BBC film shows only tip of iceberg': Sanjiv Bhatt's daughter speaks at top US press club

By Our Representative The United States' premier journalists' organisation, the National Press Club (NPC), has come down heavily on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for recent "attacks on journalists in India." Speaking at the screening of an episode of the BBC documentary “India: The Modi Question,” banned in India, in the club premises, NPC President Eileen O’Reilly said, “Since Modi came to power we have watched with frustration and disappointment as his regime has suppressed the rights of its citizens to a free and independent news media."

Chinese pressure? Left stateless, Rohingya crisis result of Myanmar citizenship law

By Dr Shakuntala Bhabani* A 22-member team of Myanmar immigration officials visited Rohingya refugee camps in Cox's Bazar to verify more than 400 Rohingya refugees as part of a pilot repatriation project. Does it hold out any hope for the forcibly displaced people to return to their ancestral homes in the Rakhine state of Myanmar? Only time will tell.

China ties up with India, Bangladesh to repatriate Rohingyas; Myanmar unwilling

By Harunur Rasid* We now have a new hope, thanks to news reports that were published in the Bangladeshi dailies recently. Myanmar has suddenly taken initiatives to repatriate Rohingyas. As part of this initiative, diplomats from eight countries posted in Yangon were flown to Rakhine last week. Among them were diplomats from Bangladesh, India and China.

40,000 Odisha adolescent girls ask CM: Why is scheme to fight malnutrition on paper?

By Our Representative In unique a postcard campaign to combat malnutrition, aimed at providing dietary diversity, considered crucial during adolescence, especially among girls, signed by about 40,000 adolescent girls from over 10,000 villages, have reminded Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik that his government's Scheme for Adolescent Girls (SAG), which converged with Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman ( POSHAN ) 2.0 in 2021, is not being implemented in the State.

Natural farming: Hamirpur leads the way to 'huge improvement' in nutrition, livelihood

By Bharat Dogra* Santosh is a dedicated farmer who along with his wife Chunni Devi worked very hard in recent months to convert a small patch of unproductive land into a lush green, multi-layer vegetable garden. This has ensured year-round supply of organically grown vegetables to his family as well as fetched several thousand rupees in cash sales.

Over-stressed? As Naveen Patnaik turns frail, Odisha 'moves closer' to leadership crisis

By Sudhansu R Das Not a single leader in Odisha is visible in the horizon who can replace Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. He has ruled Odisha for nearly two and half decades. His father, Biju Patnaik, had built Odisha; he was a daring pilot who saved the life of Indonesia’s Prime Minister Sjahrir and President Sukarno when the Dutch army blocked their exit.

Counterview

Search This Blog