New forest conservation rules will disempower tribals: Congress

Jairam Ramesh said the new rules allow forest rights to be settled after final approval for forest clearances has been granted by the Central Government

The Congress on Sunday accused the Modi government of abdicating its responsibility towards protecting tribal rights and alleged that new forest conservation rules will disempower crores of 'Adivasis' and others living in forest areas.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the new rules issued recently allow forest rights to be settled after final approval for forest clearances has been granted by the Central Government.

"Obviously, this has been done in the name of 'ease of doing business' for a chosen few. But it will end the 'ease of living' for the vast many," he said in a statement.

The former Environment Minister said this destroys the very purpose of the Forest Rights Act, 2006 and its meaningful use while considering proposals for diversion of forest land.

"Once forest clearance is granted, everything else becomes a mere formality and almost inevitably no claims will be recognised and settled. The state governments will be under even greater pressure from the Centre to accelerate the process of diversion of forest land," Ramesh said.

"The Modi Government has abdicated the responsibility given to the Central Government by Parliament to ensure that the Forest Conservation Act, 1980 is implemented in a manner consistent with the Forest Rights Act, 2006," the Congress leader alleged.

Read | Congress calls Modi ‘Adivasi Virodhi’ for changes in rules that ensures forest dwellers’ rights

He said these new rules have been promulgated without any consultation and discussion with stakeholders including Parliament's Standing Committee on Science and Technology, Environment, Forests and Climate Change, and will be challenged in the forthcoming session of Parliament.

"If anything demonstrates the Modi Sarkar's TRUE intent on protecting and promoting interests of Adivasis, it is this decision, which will disempower crores of Adivasis and others living in forest areas," he tweeted, using the hashtag "#AdivasiVirodhiNarendraModi".

He shared a news report stating that the government is approving cutting down of forests without consent from tribals and forest dwellers.

Ramesh said the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, known as the Forest Rights Act, 2006 is a historic and progressive law passed unanimously and enthusiastically by Parliament after extensive debate and discussion and it confers land and livelihood rights -- both individual and community-- to Adivasi, Dalit and other families living in forest areas of the country.

In August 2009, in order to ensure the fullest implementation of this law, the-then Ministry of Environment and Forests stipulated that no clearances for diversion of forest land under Forest Conservation Act, 1980 would even be considered by it unless rights provided under the Forest Rights Act, 2006 were first settled.

"This was done to protect and promote the interests of tribal and other communities traditionally living in forest areas," he said.

This ensured that the rights of tribal and other communities have to be settled before a decision can even be considered on forest and environmental clearance by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, he said, adding that it mandated that "free, prior and informed consent of the families affected be obtained for such an exercise to be lawful".

"Now, in a new set of Rules issued very recently, the Modi Government has allowed for forest rights to be settled after final approval for forest clearances has been granted by the Central Government," he claimed.