Only 10 PVTGs given habitat rights under FRA in 14 districts of M.P., Odisha, Chhattisgarh

Over 25 years after the FRA of 2006 came into effect, only 10 PVTGs have been granted habitat rights across 14 districts in three States
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

Over 25 years after the Forest Rights Act (FRA) of 2006 came into effect, only 10 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) have been granted habitat rights across 14 districts in three States, the government informed Parliament on Thursday. The Act was enacted to protect the forest rights of Scheduled Tribes and other forest-dwelling communities.

The Union Government has designated a total of 75 Scheduled Tribe communities as PVTGs, and recent estimates indicate that these communities reside in 19 States and Union Territories, with a total population of approximately 45.56 lakh.

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs disclosed the data on the extent of habitat rights granted under The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 (FRA), in response to a query from Tiruvallur MP Sasikanth Senthil (Congress).

The FRA includes a provision for the recognition and vesting of rights, including community tenures of habitat and habitation for PVTGs. This provision aims to ensure the protection of the traditional habitats of these tribal groups.

Mr. Senthil had sought information from the government on the number of PVTGs granted habitat rights under the FRA, the challenges arising from the misinterpretation of the definition of “habitat” in the law, and instances of PVTGs being displaced from their traditional habitats due to mining operations.

In his response, Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Durgadas Uikey stated that habitat rights under the Act have been granted to 10 PVTGs across 14 districts in Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh. Furthermore, the Minister of State noted that since land and its management fall under the purview of State governments, the Tribal Affairs Ministry does not possess specific information on the displacement of PVTGs due to mining or developmental activities.

This revelation comes nearly five years after an internal panel constituted by the Tribal Affairs Ministry identified several persistent issues in the process of vesting habitat rights for PVTGs in a draft report prepared in December 2020. The panel, headed by former Tribal Affairs Secretary Hrusikesh Panda, observed that many habitats within proposed mining areas and sanctuaries are “not seen as worth recognising” because the officials responsible for settling habitat rights often hold concurrent responsibilities for these projects.

Also read: No drop in Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups population, Centre tells Rajya Sabha

The draft report of the panel, which was made public by the news portal Article14 this week, also revealed that despite a clarification issued by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs in 2015, many officials continue to confuse habitat rights with the provision of housing or other rights under community forest rights.

This misinterpretation originated from the translation of “habitat” as “awaas” in Hindi at the time the law was framed, leading officials to believe it pertained to providing housing to these communities through relevant schemes.