MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF TRIBAL AFFAIRS (SMT. RANEE NARAH)
(a): Demographic details in respect of the people residing in the
forest areas in the country are maintained by the respective State
Governments / Union Territory Administrations.
(b) to (c): The schemes/ programmes implemented by the Ministry of
Tribal Affairs are meant for the socio-economic development of all the
Scheduled Tribes in the country, including those living in the forest areas.
This Ministry is implementing a programme for development of forest villages
since 2005-06 for integrated development of forest villages with a view to
raise the Human Development Index (HDI) of the inhabitants of the Forest
Villages and for provision of basic facilities and services in 2,474 forest
villages/ habitations spread over 12 States. Under the programme, funds
are released out of Special Central Assistance to Tribal Sub-Plan for
infrastructure work relating to basic services and facilities viz.
approach roads, healthcare, primary education, minor irrigation,
rainwater harvesting, drinking water, sanitation, community halls,
etc. for development of Forest Villages.
(d) to (e) : The Union Government took note of the fact that the forest
dwellers had been precluded from asserting their genuine claims to forest
resources which traditionally belonged to them. The Scheduled Tribes and Other
Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 was enacted
to recognize and vest the forest rights and occupation in forest land in forest
dwelling Scheduled Tribes and other Traditional Forest Dwellers who have been
residing in such forests for generations but whose rights could not be recorded.
This Act not only recognizes the right to hold and live in the forest land under
the individual or common occupation for habitation or for self-cultivation for
livelihood but also grants several other rights to ensure their control over
forest resources which inter alia include right of ownership, access to collect,
use, and dispose of minor forest produce; community rights such as nistar;
habitat rights for primitive tribal groups and pre-agricultural communities;
right to protect, regenerate or conserve or manage any community forest
resource which they have been traditionally protecting and conserving for
sustainable use.
Appropriate changes in the Rules have been brought about on 06.09.2012 and
guidelines have been issued on 12.07.2012 to ease out the problems and hindrances
encountered in the implementation of the Act, and to provide unencumbered access
to rights already conferred by the Act.
(f): The funds allocated to the State Governments and utilization reported
by them during the last three years and the current year under the development
of forest villages programme is at Annexure.
