Category: Tribals

Violence rocked the tribal belt of Adilabad and Kumram Bheem Asifabad districts on Friday as Adivasis went on the rampage, damaging property belonging to Lambadas following desecration of a statue of Raj Gond martyr Kumram Bheem at Betalguda village in Narnoor mandal.

At one stage, police lobbed teargas shells on a group of Adivasis which was threatening to go on the rampage at Utnoor mandal headquarters.

Seven policemen were injured in the stone pelting at Utnoor and Hasnapur.

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Courtesy: The Hindu

At about 20 kilometres from Kalpetta in Wayanad is Anneri, a tiny tribal hamlet that sits perched on the slopes growing pepper, paddy and coffee. A muddy off-track from the main road opens into a vast enclosure lined with traditional, thatched roof houses on three sides. In the open courtyard lie stacks of piled up hay.

This settlement in Anneri is home to Kurichiyas, one of the most important tribes of Wayanad, a biodiversity hotspot that houses 13 of Kerala’s 36 tribal communities.

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Courtesy: Your story

BHUBANESWAR: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on November 22 directed the state government to pay compensation of Rs 1000 each to 161 tribal girl students of Bhaluguda Sevashram in Malkangiri district for not giving them enough food and adequate standard of living.

The girls had left the hostel, run by the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes department, on November 25, 2013 complaining that the hostel did not give them sufficient food. The copy of the NHRC order was made available online on Thursday.

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Courtesy: The Times of India

Mumbai: The governor of Maharashtra C. Vidyasagar Rao on Tuesday issued a notification that will not require the resolution of gram sabhas for acquiring land for vital projects in tribal zones. This will help in land acquisition for bigger upcoming projects like the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train and the Samruddhi Mahamarg. According to right to land activists, the decision goes against the tribals’ land rights and will only
hamper them.

Earlier, it was necessary for the government to seek get a resolution passed from the gram sabha for acquiring land for major infrastructure projects, apart from taking the individual’s permission.

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Courtesy: The Asian Age

A new danger awaits the rural areas under the influence of the proposed Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC). If a recent Maharashtra government notification, a copy which is with Counterview, is any indication, it empowers the state government to acquire tribal land for industrial development without seeking any gram sabha nod.

Apprehensions have gone strong, similar notifications may be issued by Gujarat and Rajasthan governments, undermining tribals’ forest rights under existing laws, including the Forest Rights Act, 2006, and the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996, which make consultation with tribal gram sabhas mandatory.

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Courtesy: Counterview