Tripura tribes ( son of the soil ) have lost their rights under left front regime The tribals who constituted about 33% of the population of Tripura were being denied rights under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act of 2006. As of 30 September 2010, a total of 1,75,492 claims, including 1,75,215 individual and 277 community, were received in Tripura. The rights were being denied because of the illegal actions of the District Level Committee (DLC). The survey of the land and the demarcation of its boundaries was conducted by District Level Committee instead of the Gram Sabha/Forest Rights Committees which are the statutory authorities mandated to do so. On 27 September 2010, the Union Minister of Tribal Affairs in a letter to the Chief Minister of Tripura requested to (a) launch special campaign for generating wide-spread awareness to invite and facilitate collection of more community rights claims; (b) take action for convergence of Government programmes for the development and welfare of tribals; (c) take action for diversion of forest land for development activities as provided under Section 3(2) of the Forest Rights Act, 2006; (d) take action for determination and notification of critical wildlife habitats in the National Parks and Sanctuaries as provided under Section 2(b) of the Forest Rights Act, 2006; and (e) take action for conversion of forest villages into revenue villages as provided under Section 3(1)(h) of the Forest Rights Act, 2006. The official apathy and corruption further deprived welfare benefits to the tribals. The Tribal Welfare Department of Tripura has been implementing rubber plantation scheme for the benefit of the tribals. But the tribals were deprived of the benefits due to misappropriation of funds meant for the scheme by officials. For example, 93 tribal beneficiaries in the Taraban Colony area and 90 tribal families in Pancharatan Gaonsabha in Dambur Nagar Block under Gandhacherra Sub-Division in Dhalai district could not avail the benefit due to embezzlement of funds meant for the scheme.
Posted on: Fri, 14 Jun 2013 03:37:54 +0000