By Nita Bhalla and Jatindra Dash NEW DELHI (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – A landmark law recognising the rights of India’s tribes over forest land may be diluted to clear the way for infrastructure projects such as roads, railway lines, electricity towers and irrigation canals, Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram has said. The government is mulling a proposal to amend the Forest Rights Act and exempt certain projects from the need for a village council vote as laid out by law, Oram told Thomson Reuters Foundation. “If there are projects (that) are benefiting the tribals also, then what is the problem in amending the Forest Rights Act to include exemptions?” No decision has yet been made, Oram said, and even if approved by cabinet, any amendments would still need to be passed by parliament. Activists say the move indicates how the pro-business policies of recently elected Prime Minister Narendra Modi could hurt the environment and poor communities, including indigenous people.
Source: https://in.news.yahoo.com/government-mulls-dilution-tribal-forest-rights-minister-090452761.html