‘Centre diluting Forest Rights Act’

The Adivasi Adhikar Rashtriya Manch (AARM) national convener Jiten Chowdhury charged the BJP-led Central government with infringing on the hard won rights of tribal communities by attempting to dilute the landmark Forest Rights Act (FRA) enacted in 2006.

Mr Chowdhury was addressing a public meeting held here on Monday evening to mark the beginning of the two-day State conference of the Telangana Girijana Sangham. Of an estimated over 70 lakh Adivasi and forest dwelling families across the country, only a meagre 17 lakh families secured rights under the provisions of the FRA in the last 17 years, he said, pointing out that nearly 53 lakh families (around 5 crore Adivasis and forest dwellers) have not yet received forest land rights.

The BJP regime at the Centre is pursuing anti-tribal, anti-Dalit anti-farmer and anti-poor policies by resorting to subsidy cuts hitting poorest of the poor the hardest, he charged. It is serving the interests of big corporate entities taking a toll on the livelihoods of lakhs of poor people and depriving Adivasis of their centuries old rights over forest resources, he alleged.

The TRS MPs should raise their voice in the ongoing Parliament session seeking concrete measures to safeguard the reservations of SCs and STs in jobs and promotions, he said. CPI (M) senior leader and former MLA Julakanti Ranga Reddy, the party district secretary Nunna Nageswara Rao, senior Kerala cadre IPS officer G Lakshman Naik, Telangana Girijana Sangham district secretary Banoth Veerabhadram, among others were present.

Earlier, an impressive rally was organisedfrom the SP Stadium to Bhakta Ramadasu Kalakshetram.