Citizens for Justice and Peace
In Pictures: A journey that explains how Land Claims are filed under FRA 2006 Filing community and individual forest rights claims is a tedious and onerous process
08-Sep-2019
In this story we explore various elements required, the boxes that need to be ticked, before forest dwelling people can file claims for the rightful ownership of land under FRA, 2006. What exactly does it take to claim their lands? Is it just a question of completing a bunch of paperwork? What does the process entail?…
Forest Rights case: SC directs states to file Compliance Affidavits Sokalo Gond and Nivada Rana file Intervention Application backed by CJP and AIUFWP
06-Aug-2019
The Supreme Court has directed states that have not filed compliance affidavits on the matter of implementation of the Forest Rights Act, 2006, to do so within a fortnight. Wild Life First v/s Union of India –a batch of petitions filed in 2008 challenging the constitutional validity of the Forest Rights Act of 2006 came up…
Sokalo Gond and Nivada Rana lead the campaign for Forest Rights in SC Intervention Application backed by CJP and AIUFWP
05-Aug-2019
Adivasi human rights defenders Sokalo Gond and Nivada Rana have moved Supreme Court praying for justice for millions of forest dwellers, especially women, who have been denied forest rights, and now face the prospect of eviction from their traditional habitats. The duo have filed an intervention application in the ongoing case led by Wildlife First.…
FRA 2006 can’t be diluted, needs to become political issue Public Hearing on Forest Rights highlights lacunae in implementation
19-Jul-2019
Public Hearing records grave incidents of atrocities on forest dwelling communities and argues for a rigorous implementation of the FRA 2006, a systematic and scientific mapping of land dubbed as ‘forests’, argues for a political programme for the implementation of the law and appointment of Court Commissioners to oversee this implementation. A public hearing…
Nationwide Protest against possible Eviction of Lakhs of Forest Dwellers To Implement Forest Rights Act 2006
17-Jul-2019
In the recently concluded two day national consultation of Land and Forest rights movement organised by Bhoomi Adhikar Andolan, it was declared that several Lands and Forest Rights Organisations will hold nationwide protest actions on the July 22nd against the Supreme Court order on eviction of Forest Dwelling Communities. The consultation voiced the pathos of…
Forest Rights organisations urge GOI to defend FRA 2006 Matter concerns SC order on eviction of forest dwellers
10-Jul-2019
Four national platforms of Adivasi and Forest dwellers’ organisations have written strong letters to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led central government on the issues of Supreme Court eviction order, amendments to the Indian Forest Act and large scale corruption in the name of afforestation and “development of mining-affected areas”. The platforms include Adivasi Adhikar Rashtriya…
Mahua coloured dreams Forest produce and its relevance in the lives of forest dwelling communities in Sonbhadra, UP
10-Jul-2019
Mahua, which has found mention in folk poetry, songs and stories is rightly called the “gift of Gods.” Flowering in summer, especially during March and April, the flowers provide respite to the lands and peoples stricken by drought and summers. These deciduous trees flower even as all other trees lie bare. It’s a revered tree…
A Commitment to Forest Rights could change the course of the 2019 General Election A campaign for implementation of the FRA could capture 133 seats
20-Mar-2019
Poor implementation of the Forest Rights Act, 2006 (FRA) which legalises the land rights of India’s 200 million forest dwellers, could be, if made into a vibrant election issue, become a deciding factor in how a fourth, i.e. 25 per cent (133 of 543) constituencies vote in the coming general election. A detailed analysis by the…
A Campaign for Forest Rights could affect these Constituencies in 2019 Some key areas are in Maharashtra, Odisha and Gujarat
17-Mar-2019
In tables, the study shows where the Constituencies where a Campaign for Forest Rights could impact. The earlier part of this series revealed how an analytical study by Community Forest resource-Learning and Advocacy Network shows how the forest and land rights of India’s 200 million forest dwellers, could be, if made into a vibrant election…
What should a Campaign for Forest Rights demand in 2019? Strengthening conservation efforts and transforming forest management are key focus areas
16-Mar-2019
Evidence from the ground shows that rights holders that have rigorously used FRA 2006, specially its community rights provisions, to achieve the following goals: Transforming forest management to meet local livelihood and cultural needs; Ensuring food security and poverty alleviation; Securing gender justice and rights of women over land and forest; Strengthening conservation efforts and…
Jindal Steel allotted land: Odisha villagers vow to fight back PPSS objects to how land was allotted from the land bank
10-Dec-2018
Even though South Korean steel major POSCO has withdrawn from Odisha, more than 2500 acres of fertile agricultural land is yet to be handed over to villagers affected by the project. According to POSCO Pratirodh Sangharsh Samiti (PPSS), the state government has now decided to hand over the entire area to Jindal Steel of the Sajjan Jindal…
Deliberate Attempt to weaken Forest Produce scheme? Slow and certain moves to attack incomes and rights of forest dwellers
01-Dec-2018
For the longest time, the lobby of contractors, bureaucrats, forest department officials and other traders have kept local forest dwellers away from their own work of labour, namely Minor Forest Produce or MFPs, giving them only wages for the work they would do to collect and process forest produce. The profit would inevitably be scooped…
Photo Feature: Distressed Farmers throng Delhi streets Manage to get audience with key opposition leaders
30-Nov-2018
In a last ditch effort to make their voices heard, lakhs of Indian farmers have landed up in New Delhi to highlight the impact of anti-farmer agrarian policies of the government on their lives. The Kisan Mukti Morcha organised by the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee, an umbrella organisation over over 200 farmers welfare…
MSP: किसानों की जीत या एक और जुमला? CJP ने अशोक धवले से बातचीत की
13-Jul-2018
मोदी सरकार ने हाल ही में किसानो को दिए जाने वाले MSP में इज़ाफा किया है. कुछ अख़बार और ऑनलाइन न्यूज़ एजेंसीज इसे ‘ऐतिहासिक’ बता रहे हैं. पर आखिर सच्चाई क्या है? क्या ये MSP, स्वमिनाथन कमिटी सिफारिशों के अनुरुप है? क्या किसानों तक यह MSP पहुचाने का सरकार के पास कोई ज़रिया है? इस…
New MSP for Kharif crops: Historic or Histrionics? Govt. can't stop patting its own back for benefits it never provided
07-Jul-2018
On July 4, 2018, the cabinet approved a hike in the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for Kharif crops, triggering an unabashed display of self congratulations and sycophancy on social media. But given how the MSP hike without any guarantee of procurement is a meaningless publicity stunt, one wonders if the move is just a means to…