Skip to main content

Six Odisha gram sabhas "force" govt to allow business in kendu leaves under Forest Rights Act, yet confusion continues

By Our Representative
In what is being considered a partial success by forest rights activists, following the tribals' six months long campaign, half a dozen gram sabhas of Kalahandi district have "forced" the Odisha Forest Department to issue a special circular allowing them to sell kendu leaf (KL) to anyone whom they want as per the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006.
Even as allowing them to do business on their own, the November 17 notification, issued by the Forest Department, say senior activists, is not clear whether the six gram sabhas can sell their KL stored in their houses collected in May 2017, as Paragraph-7 of the notification talks of the year 2018.
Further, the notification is restricted to six gram sabhas only and wants to restrict the KL collection area involving Forest Range Officer in enumeration of the KL to be collected and sold.
Seeking "immediate revision of the notification", the Odisha chapter of Campaign for Survival and Dignity (CSD), which mobilized the tribals and forest dwellers across the country for the enactment of FRA, has said, there is utter confusion on implementing it.
“While the Bhawanipatna Kendu Leaf DFO says that the six gram sabhas cannot sell their KL stored in the houses, Suresh Chandra Mohapatra, Principal Secretary, Forest & Environment Department, Odisha government, says that they can", it noted.
In the last kendu leaf season in May 2017, the gram sabhas of Khainsuguda, Jamugudabahal, Jamjharan, Kasturpadar, Kanakpur, and Kalipur in Kalahandi district coming under Bhawanipatna KL division gathered kendu leaves and decided to take up KL business in their hands, exercising ownership rights recognized under Section 3(1) (c) of Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006.
They did a business agreement with a Maharashtra merchant and committed to supply 72,000 bundle of KL at Rs 7.50 per bundle (60 leaves) against Rs 2.40 paid by the Odisha government. Accordingly, the merchant paid Rs 3,64,000 as advance out of Rs 5,40,000 payable to the villagers.
However, after knowing the development, the local Forest Department officials obstructed them and threatened the KL businessman. Since then the community people of the six villages were struggling to sell their KL and get justice.
They filed petitions before the District Collector, the Forest Department, the FRA State Level Monitoring Committee (SLMC), and even approached the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India.
Jual Oram, Minister of Tribal Affairs, Government of India, on July 3 wrote to Navin Patnaik, Odisha chief minister, to address the issue of the six gram sabhas.
Even the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe Development Department, Odisha government, reminded the Forest Department on July 22 that the latter had violated FRA by obstructing gram sabhas and asked it to allow them to do KL business independently.
The leaders of the six gram sabhas met and appraised their plight to Ramesh Chandra Majhi, Odisha SC/ST Development Minister, but he also failed to resolve the issue.
"In between the Forest Department continued to threaten the community people, activists and civil society organization involved in the process”, CSD said, even as joining a protest rally held in Bhubneswar on June 28. On August 13, 2017 it wrote a letter to Naveen Patnaik urging him to allow the six gram sabhas to exercise their ownership rights over KL.
“Since the Forest Department is responsible for the damage of the kendu leaves of the six gram sabhas of Kalahandi district, we demand that the Odisha development government should immediately pay Rs 5,40,000 excluding all expenditures incurred towards storage and maintenance of KL to the six gram sabhas”, CSD said.
It added, “While the Maharashtra government allowed nearly 1,000 of villages in Gadchiroli, Gondia and Amarawati districts to exercise ownership rights over KL allowing them to do direct business, the Odisha government wants to continue its feudal system in the State through KL Corporation.”

Comments

TRENDING

'Draconian' Kerala health law follows WHO diktat: Govt readies to take harsh measures

By Dr Maya Valecha*  The Governor of Kerala has signed the Kerala Public Health Bill, which essentially reverses the people’s campaign in healthcare services in Kerala for decentralisation. The campaign had led to relinquishing of state powers in 1996, resulting in improvement of health parameters in Kerala. Instead, now, enforcement of law through the exercise of power, fines, etc., and the implementation of protocol during the pandemic, are considered of prime importance.

Reject WHO's 'draconian' amendments on pandemic: Citizens to Union Health Minister

By Our Representative  Several concerned Indian citizens have written to the Union Health Minister to reject amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR) of the World Health Organization (WHO) adopted during the 75th World Health Assembly (WHA75) in May 2022, apprehending this will make the signatories surrender their autonomy to the “unelected, unaccountable and the whimsical WHO in case of any future ‘pandemics’.”

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah*   The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual. 

Savarkar in Ahmedabad 'declared' two-nation theory in 1937, Jinnah followed 3 years later

By Our Representative One of the top freedom fighters whom BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi revere the most, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, was also a great supporter of the two nation theory for India, one for Hindus another for Muslims, claims a new expose on the man who is also known to be the original proponent of the concept of Hindutva.

Bihar rural women entrepreneurs witness 50% surge in awareness about renewal energy

By Mignonne Dsouza*  An endline survey conducted under the Bolega Bihar initiative revealed a significant increase in awareness of renewable energy among women, rising from 25% to 76% in Nalanda and Gaya. Renu Kumari, a 34-year-old entrepreneur from Nalanda, Bihar, operates a village eatery that serves as the primary source of income for her family, including her husband and five children. However, a significant portion of her profits was being directed toward covering monthly electricity expenses that usually reach Rs 2,000. 

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.

Work with Rajasthan's camel herders: German scientist wins World Cookbook Award 2023

By Rosamma Thomas*  Gourmand World Cookbook Awards are the only awards for international food culture. This year, German scientist  Ilse Kohler Rollefson , founder of Camel Charisma, the first of India’s camel dairies, in Pali district of Rajasthan, won the award for her work with camel herders in Rajasthan, and for preparing for the UN International Year of Camelids, 2024. 

'Very low rung in quality ladder': Critique of ICMR study on 'sudden deaths' post-2021

By Bhaskaran Raman*  Since about mid-2021, a new phenomenon of extreme concern has been observed throughout the world, including India : unexplained sudden deaths of seemingly healthy and active people, especially youngsters. In the recently concluded Navratri garba celebrations, an unprecedented number of young persons succumbed to heart attack deaths. After a long delay, ICMR (Indian Council for Medical Research) has finally has published a case-control study on sudden deaths among Indians of age 18-45.

Why is electricity tariff going up in India? Who is the beneficiary? A random reflection

By Thomas Franco*  Union Ministry of Power has used its power under Section 11 of the Electricity Act, 2003 to force States to import coal which has led to an increase in the cost of electricity production and every consumer is paying a higher tariff. In India, almost everybody from farmers to MSMEs are consumers of electricity.

Union Health Ministry, FSSAI 'fail to respond' to NHRC directive on packaged food

By Our Representative  The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has expressed deep concern over the adverse health effects caused by packaged foods high in salt, sugar, and saturated fats. Recognizing it as a violation of the Right to Life and Right to Health of Indian citizens, the quasi-judicial body called for a response from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) regarding its selection of front-of-pack labels aimed at providing consumers with information to make healthier choices.