The sluggish pace at which land titles are being granted to tribals in some states, including the poll-bound Himachal Pradesh, has prompted the Prime Minister’s office to nudge the tribal affairs ministry to set the deadline. More than a decade old, FRA was intended to “undo the historic injustice” towards tribal groups by giving them legal titles to forest land and resources. There have been complaints from several states, including Odisha where the land title rests with the tribals, of local strongmen and land sharks taking forcible possession of land belonging to tribals. Until May, in Tamil Nadu land rights were not given to any of 18,420 individuals and 3,361 communities who applied for the legal title. On the other hand, states such as the poll-bound Odisha and Gujarat, have a comparatively better record of conferring land rights on the marginalised tribes.

Source: Hindustan Times September 08, 2017 04:30 UTC