Date:02/06/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/06/02/stories/2008060253950500.htm

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Steps to implement tribal rights law

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Cabinet has approved the report of the working group formed for submitting recommendations on the implementation of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, in the State.

Accordingly, the Department of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes will be the nodal agency for implementation of the Act.

The government will take urgent steps to convene grama sabhas and form forest rights committees and identify tribals for allocation of rights on lands. The Department of Local Self-Government will issue the necessary directives to the panchayats in this regard. The Revenue Department is authorised to survey the lands and issue possession certificates.

The Forest Department will provide the records needed for that and assist the survey. The list of beneficiaries prepared by the committees will be scrutinised by sub-divisional-level committees and forwarded to the district-level committees, headed by collectors, for approval.

A State-level committee will oversee the proceedings. A timeframe for completing the procedures would be fixed shortly, an official release said.