Modern trade and business have now rapidly begun to engulf natural resources. Forests, which according to the definition given by the Supreme Court, only need to be recorded as such, are being handed over to private companies. The government of Madhya Pradesh, a state with abundant forests, has gradually started the process of handing over forests to private entities. Currently, the Madhya Pradesh government has again planned to hand over degraded forest land for afforestation under the Green Credit program to private investors, which will also include the right for investors to sell 50 percent of minor forest produce.
According to government figures, seventeen states have so far earmarked more than 57,700 hectares of barren land for afforestation under the Green Credit program. Madhya Pradesh, which has the largest forest area in the country, had identified and registered more than 15,200 hectares of barren land for this program by February 2, which is more than all other states, as the government stated in the current parliamentary session.
During the Corona period, the 'Principal Chief Conservator of Forests' office of the Madhya Pradesh government had issued an order on October 20, 2020, to hand over 3.7 million hectares of degraded forests to private companies under the 'Public-Private-Partnership' (PPP) mode, but it was stopped after opposition. 'Carbon trading' is a tactic to increase capital by profiting in the name of improving nature. In 2021, the 'global carbon credit market' saw a 164 percent increase and is expected to cross US$100 billion by 2030. Earning crores of rupees from the international market through 'carbon trading' (by afforestation) is a priority.
The Government of India had planned to earn $125 million between 2008 and 2012 through 'carbon credits' by afforestation on degraded forests, village grazing lands, and fallow land. According to the World Bank's assessment, the value of wood, bamboo, and non-timber forest products is $20 billion. The value of ecological and environmental tourism in 'Joint Forest Management' areas is estimated at $17 billion.
Under the 'Green India Mission' and 'Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation' (REDD), also known as 'REDD+', the Government of India plans to bring in international capital. Creating a global market in the name of saving the environment has also become part of international capital. Now, even 'NGOs' are running programs to evict tribals from their occupied land for afforestation. One such case has come to light in the Manpur and Tala development blocks of Umaria district in Madhya Pradesh, where a complaint has been received about an organization removing tribals from their forest land claimed under the 'Forest Rights Act' to carry out afforestation.
There is a lot of money in the name of saving the environment, but due to capitalist thinking, everything is being done from a commercial perspective. Neither the forests nor the environment is being saved by this.
Out of the total 52,739 villages in Madhya Pradesh, 22,600 villages are either located in the forests or adjacent to forest boundaries. A large part of the state is "Reserved Forest," and another large part is known as national parks and sanctuaries, etc. The remaining forests are those called "degraded forests" or protected forests. In these protected forests, the rights of local people need to be documented first, so they should not be acquired. These protected forests are very important economic resources for the local communities living in the forests, which they use for their sustenance needs.
Under the 'Green India Mission' and 'Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation' (REDD), also known as 'REDD+', the Government of India plans to bring in international capital. Creating a global market in the name of saving the environment has also become part of international capital. Now, even 'NGOs' are running programs to evict tribals from their occupied land for afforestation. One such case has come to light in the Manpur and Tala development blocks of Umaria district in Madhya Pradesh, where a complaint has been received about an organization removing tribals from their forest land claimed under the 'Forest Rights Act' to carry out afforestation.
There is a lot of money in the name of saving the environment, but due to capitalist thinking, everything is being done from a commercial perspective. Neither the forests nor the environment is being saved by this.
Out of the total 52,739 villages in Madhya Pradesh, 22,600 villages are either located in the forests or adjacent to forest boundaries. A large part of the state is "Reserved Forest," and another large part is known as national parks and sanctuaries, etc. The remaining forests are those called "degraded forests" or protected forests. In these protected forests, the rights of local people need to be documented first, so they should not be acquired. These protected forests are very important economic resources for the local communities living in the forests, which they use for their sustenance needs.
The forest management proceedings regarding the proposed 3,006,624 hectares of land in 6,520 forest blocks in various districts of the state have been pending since 1988. Under the provisions of the Indian Forest Act, 1927, the forest settlement officers were to present the draft notification along with the report under Section 20 to create reserved forests after taking action under Sections 5 to 19, which is still pending. The question arises as to what will happen to the community rights given or to be given to the Gram Sabha by Section 3(1)(j) of the Forest Rights Act, 2006, for the protection, management, and use of the forest?
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*Bargi Dam Displaced and Affected Association
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*Bargi Dam Displaced and Affected Association
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