MP forest land grab: Millions of hectares under encroachment, tribal rights in question

By Raj Kumar Sinha*
In an affidavit submitted to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) by the Madhya Pradesh government, it has been stated that people have encroached upon 5.46 lakh hectares of forest land. The NGT, taking suo moto cognizance of the encroachment on forest land, had sought this information from all states and union territories. The annual administrative report of the Forest Department for 2020-21 states that between 1980 and 1990, 1.19 lakh hectares of forest land were encroached upon. Subsequently, there was no encroachment between 1991-2000, 2001-2010, and 2011-2020.
The question arises whether 3.97 lakh hectares of forest land have been encroached upon between 2020 and 2025. The annual report of the Forest Department for 2020-21 also states that a total of 2.84 lakh hectares of forest land were diverted from 1980 to 2020. Out of this, 1.64 lakh hectares of forest land were diverted for irrigation, mining, defense, and various development projects. The highest diversion of 83,842 hectares of forest land was for irrigation projects. Madhya Pradesh witnessed the highest deforestation for various development projects between 2014 and 2024. In response to a question in Parliament, the Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupendra Yadav, stated that 38,852 hectares of forest land were diverted for development projects in the state during this period. According to the India State of Forest Report 2023, the state has 85,72,400 hectares of forest land, which is a decrease of 61,240 hectares compared to the previous report.
The Ministry of Environment admitted before the Supreme Court in the Godavarman case in 2004 that "the record of rights did not exist, due to which the rights of tribals could not be settled during the forest consolidation process in the country." Therefore, rural people, especially tribals who have resided in the forests since time immemorial, were deprived of their traditional rights and livelihoods and became encroachers in the eyes of the law. The Government of India acknowledged that the historical injustice done to tribals should be rectified. Therefore, the Forest Rights Act 2006 pointed towards the historical injustice meted out to Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers, who are integral to the survival and sustainability of the forest ecosystem.1
According to January 2025 data under the Forest Rights Act 2006 in Madhya Pradesh, claims of possession over 5,85,326 individual forest land have been filed, out of which 3,18,425 claims have been rejected, which is the highest in the country. The Supreme Court's decision on February 13, 2019, regarding the Forest Rights Act revealed that 3,54,787 individual claims were rejected in Madhya Pradesh. The State Level Forest Rights Monitoring Committee, in its 17th meeting on February 27, 2019, acknowledged that proper procedures were not followed while rejecting the claims, and a decision was taken to review the claims. Following this, the forest rights of tribals in Madhya Pradesh are being violated through the Van Mitra app and portal. The state government designed the Van Mitra portal for the convenience of the tribal community; however, it is now becoming a cause of inconvenience for them. In the state, the portal is being used as a basis to deprive tribals of their rights. The provision is that possession of forest land should be before December 13, 2005. Tribals need to provide a caste certificate, and non-tribal communities need to prove their residency in the village for three generations.
Members of the Forest Rights Act Task Force Committee constituted by the state government had visited Simardha, a Baiga tribal-dominated forest village in the Samanapur development block of Dindori district, on the past April 26th. There, people reported that out of 72 individual claims filed, only 35 people received title deeds, and even those were incomplete. Such villages that were settled in the forests before 1932 and were included within these forests when they were declared "Reserved Forests" have a similar situation. The landholders residing in these villages were not given permanent leases for their land. Hundreds of such forest villages face the same situation. Claims of villages located in sanctuaries and tiger reserves are not being accepted at all, whereas the law states that if there is possession even in a reserve forest, a title deed will be given. Therefore, the extent of forest encroachment cannot be determined until the complete implementation of the Forest Rights Act and the settlement of all claims and reviews.
---
*Bargi Dam Displaced and Affected Association

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.

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.

School job scam and the future of university degree holders in West Bengal

By Harasankar Adhikari The school recruitment controversy in West Bengal has emerged as one of the most serious governance challenges in recent years, raising concerns about transparency, institutional accountability, and the broader impact on society. Allegations that school jobs were obtained through irregular means have led to prolonged legal scrutiny, involving both the Calcutta High Court and the Supreme Court of India. In one instance, a panel for high school teacher recruitment was ultimately cancelled after several years of service, following extended judicial proceedings and debate.

New RTI draft rules inspired by citizen-unfriendly, overtly bureaucratic approach

By Venkatesh Nayak* The Department of Personnel and Training , Government of India has invited comments on a new set of Draft Rules (available in English only) to implement The Right to Information Act, 2005 . The RTI Rules were last amended in 2012 after a long period of consultation with various stakeholders. The Government’s move to put the draft RTI Rules out for people’s comments and suggestions for change is a welcome continuation of the tradition of public consultation. Positive aspects of the Draft RTI Rules While 60-65% of the Draft RTI Rules repeat the content of the 2012 RTI Rules, some new aspects deserve appreciation as they clarify the manner of implementation of key provisions of the RTI Act. These are: Provisions for dealing with non-compliance of the orders and directives of the Central Information Commission (CIC) by public authorities- this was missing in the 2012 RTI Rules. Non-compliance is increasingly becoming a major problem- two of my non-compliance cases are...

Search This Blog