Issue ordinance to undo damage done by SC order to "evict" tribals: Letter to Govt of India

In a letter to Union minister for tribal affairs Jual Oram, former secretary to Government of India, Ministry of Welfare, PS Krishnan, IAS (Retd), who was also member, National Monitoring Committee for Education of SCs, STs and Persons with Disabilities, has said that emergency action is required to immediately stay eviction of lakhs of STs and find complete solution to the situation that has arisen following the Supreme Court order of February 13.
The order, says Irishman, directed 21 States to evict a mind-boggling number, mainly of the Scheduled Tribes (STs) and of some other Traditional Forest Dwellers (OTFDs), in the case of the Wild-Life First and Ors vs the Ministry of Environment and Forests and Ors.
The letter regrets, "It appears that your Ministry was not in the picture in this case. In view of the orientation of the Ministry of Environment and Forests, there is room for apprehension that the facts and the Constitutional and legal position pertaining to STs may not have been placed properly before the Court."
Asking the minister to get the order stayed, reviewed and revised, Kishnan says, since there is only a small window of time available, one must consider issuing an ordinance, warning him, "Failure to take immediate action will become a major election issue adverse to the Government", creating doubts "about the sincerity of government’s affirmation of commitment to the interests of STs."

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The silent epidemic: What numbers tell us about India's youth mental health crisis

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Ex-bureaucrats flag tribal rights concerns in Odisha, seek release of arrested leaders

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From caste to race: Reading 'Black & Buddhist' through an Indian lens

By Rajiv Shah A few days ago, while visiting a local library in a relatively small town on the eastern coast of the United States, the person who took me there asked if I wished to borrow a book. I looked around. While I couldn't find much that immediately connected with me, one book seemed of particular interest: Black & Buddhist .

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