People's Democracy

CPI(M) Slams Govt On Tribal Rights Act

The Madhya Pradesh state committee of CPI(M) said the state government is not serious to the implementation of Tribal Rights Act in the state. The act provides for ownership right to tribals on their land of cultivation, habitat and minor forest produce.

CPI (M) state secretary Badal Saroj said Madhya Pradesh being the state with the largest tribal population in the country should have seen hectic activities for implementation of the Act. The fact that only 582 claims/objections have been received from Shahdole and, 1031 from Jhabua shows that the state government is not serious about implementation of the Act, he said.

He said Vanadhikar Samitis should have been formed at the meeting of gram sabhas on January 26 this year and claims / objections should have been invited in the next ninty days.

The state government was supposed to undertake intensive publicity campaign to make tribals aware of the provisions of the Act besides imparting training to the members of Vanadhikar Samitis. But, the government has not done anything of the sort.

The state government was required to distribute claim/objection forms free of lost but only one lakh forms were printed in the state and consequently the forms are being sold in black for Rs 500 to Rs 1000.

Condemning the state government�s non-serious attitude to the implementation of the Act, terming it another manifestation of BJPs anti adivasi attitude, the CPI(M) demanded that effective steps be taken urgently to provide claim-objection forms to tribals and for follow up action.

CPI (M) has intensified its own campaign among adivasis by distributing forms and organising village meetings.