A two-day national conference on “Climate Change, Privatisation of Public Resources and Public Welfare,” held on March 17 and 18 at the Bagaicha Social Centre in Ranchi, saw activists, researchers and community leaders from several states adopt six resolutions sharply criticising government policies on forest diversion, mining expansion and the privatisation of common lands.
Organised by the Justice in Mining Network, Campaign to Defend Nature and People, and Azadi Bachao Andolan, the conference brought together participants from Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and other states. The resolutions, passed unanimously, call for an immediate halt to the diversion of forest land for non-forest purposes, particularly mining and road projects, and demand that ownership of natural resources be vested in local communities rather than the state or private corporations.
The first resolution strongly opposed all attempts to divert forest land, stating that such projects displace Adivasis and other traditional forest dwellers, forcing involuntary migration and destroying their livelihoods, indigenous knowledge and democratic culture. It noted that since Independence, mining and development projects have displaced over 20 million people, half of them Adivasis.
Rejecting the doctrine of “eminent domain,” the resolution asserted that forests belong to forest dwellers and are not state property. It criticised amendments to the Forest Conservation Act and the Environment Impact Assessment Notification, which were introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic when public protests were severely restricted. The conference highlighted the underutilisation of District Mineral Funds, meant for environmental restoration and community welfare, and pointed to the large-scale rejection of claims under the Forest Rights Act.
Citing official data from the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs as of December 31, 2025, the resolution listed high rejection rates: 51 percent of individual forest rights claims and 6 percent of community forest rights claims in Chhattisgarh; 38 percent and 69 percent respectively in Jharkhand; 53 percent and 29 percent in Madhya Pradesh; 47 percent and 19 percent in Maharashtra; and 26 percent and 4 percent in Odisha. It demanded immediate resolution of all pending claims and review of rejected ones.
The resolution also opposed the eviction of 73 villages (5,070 families) from Palamu Tiger Reserve in Jharkhand, the creation of marine conservation areas that restrict traditional fishers’ rights, militarisation of Adivasi areas without Gram Sabha consent, and the setting up of land banks for future projects. It called for investigations into fake Gram Sabha resolutions used for project clearances, the establishment of resettlement and rehabilitation commissions in every state, and the release of activists detained on false charges.
The second resolution declared that no provision in the Constitution of India supports capitalism and that the document envisions a socialist path for the country. Citing a 2013 Supreme Court judgment (Civil Appeal 4549/2000), it said mineral wealth belongs to landowners, not the government. The conference described the current economic model as “corporate colonialism,” where foreign investment is treated as the sole measure of development, leading to exploitation of water, forests, land and minerals.
It pointed out that nearly 1.9 million companies, including about 5,300 multinational corporations, operate in India, yet the majority of the population is sinking deeper into poverty. The resolution demanded legislation to vest ownership of natural resources in village communities and landowners, with elected governments regulating capital rather than the reverse.
The participants condemned proposed amendments to the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957, which seek to remove the area limit on mining leases. They warned that this would benefit large corporations, concentrate mining leases in fewer hands—already 160 leaseholders control 50 percent of the 282,000 hectares under lease—and undermine protections under the Fifth Schedule and Jharkhand’s Chota Nagpur Tenancy Act, 1908, and Santhal Pargana Tenancy Act, 1949. The conference vowed to mobilise tribal communities against the changes.
In the third resolution, the conference expressed appreciation for the work of several organisations, including Mines, Minerals and People, Hasdeo Aranya Bachao Andolan, Campaign for Survival and Dignity Odisha, National Federation of Small-scale Fishworkers, Samyukt Kisan Morcha, Ekta Parishad and JOHAR. It noted that mining causes irreparable damage to forest ecosystems and blocks wildlife corridors, as seen in Chhattisgarh’s Hasdeo Arand region.
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| Prafulla Samantara |
The resolution highlighted successful struggles by groups such as the Koel Karo Jan Sangathan and Netarhat Kendriya Jan Sangharsh Samiti, and appealed for the formation of a nationwide network to counter mining in forest areas.
The fourth resolution focused on the rapid disappearance of India’s common lands—forests (33 million hectares) and non-forested areas including barren land (11.9 million hectares), pastures (9.1 million hectares) and cultivable fallow (12.5 million hectares). It said these commons traditionally provided firewood, fodder, grazing grounds and building materials while maintaining ecological balance. However, nearly half the common grazing lands have vanished in the past five decades because the government treats non-revenue-generating land as “wasteland.”
The resolution detailed the impact on three major communities. Small farmers, who constitute 70.4 percent of agricultural households with less than one hectare of land (average 0.876 ha), depend on commons for fodder and fuel. According to the NSS 77th Round Survey of 2019, the average monthly income of an agricultural household was ₹10,218, with crop income at only ₹3,798. Around 40 million fishworkers, mostly women, and 150 million dependents face depletion of inland and coastal waters due to encroachment, pollution and mechanised trawling under the “Blue Revolution.”
India’s 13 million pastoralists, spread across 65 communities, rear the country’s second-largest sheep population (75 million) and largest goat population (150 million), contributing an estimated ₹1,31,500 crore annually to the economy, yet their role remains unrecognised. Grazing routes have been blocked by roads, solar and wind farms, and Forest Department restrictions.
The fifth resolution synthesised the earlier ones, noting that tribal people, forest dwellers, small farmers, fishworkers and pastoralists—roughly half the country’s population—rely directly on natural resources and act as custodians of the environment. It criticised capitalist development policies for pushing these groups into poverty and homelessness while benefiting a few. The conference urged these communities to unite around a common political agenda for a new economic system that protects both nature and livelihoods. It called for strengthening Gram Sabhas under the Forest Rights Act to manage resources and resist privatisation, and resolved to mobilise 600 million people towards an exploitation-free society.
The sixth and final resolution demanded that the Directive Principles of State Policy in the Constitution be made enforceable by courts through progressive taxation—income, wealth, inheritance and corporate taxes. It expressed concern over rising unemployment, the introduction of four labour codes seen as anti-worker, and the concentration of benefits among a few capitalists. The conference also condemned the polarisation of society along communal lines and the targeting of minorities.
With climate change already manifesting in erratic rainfall, droughts and floods, the conference emphasised that communities living closest to nature are the worst affected. Participants pledged non-violent, democratic action to protect forests, commons and livelihoods.
The two-day event concluded with a commitment to continue the campaign at the grassroots level and press the central and state governments to review policies on mining, forest rights and resource ownership. Whether these demands will influence policy remains to be seen, but the resolutions have clearly outlined the concerns of a significant section of India’s rural and tribal population.
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