Forest Rights Act controversy: Centre says minister’s statement was misrepresented

New Delhi: The Environment Ministry has strongly rejected allegations by forest rights groups that it is attempting to “subvert” the Forest Rights Act (FRA), calling them a “gross misunderstanding of facts” and asserting that it remains committed to both environmental protection and the welfare of forest-dependent communities.

In a recent letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, more than 90 forest rights organisations had accused the ministry of trying to undermine the FRA and demanded that Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav clarify his reported statement that the “FRA leads to forest degradation”.

The groups said the minister’s remarks, published in a newspaper article on June 5, were “false, misleading, legally untenable and an attempt to undermine the legitimacy of the FRA”. Responding to the criticism, the ministry said in a statement: “The reference in social media to a letter alleging ‘Subversion of the Forest Rights Act’ reflects a gross misunderstanding of facts. MOEFCC remains committed to protecting forests, India’s green cover and communities dependent on them or living in the vicinity of said areas.”

It said that Yadav’s statement as quoted in social media has been “grossly misrepresented, distorted, represented in a piecemeal manner and is totally out of context”.

According to the ministry, the minister’s comment referred to findings in the latest India State of Forest Report which showed a net increase in the country’s forest cover, though some areas did experience degradation due to various reasons.

It said this degradation could be addressed through protection measures involving local communities.

“The context of the statement about increase in forest cover and halting of the degradation of forest through active involvement of the local community… has been totally undermined, overlooked and misrepresented,” it said.

The ministry also pointed to the government’s recent initiatives to work closely with tribal communities, citing direct interactions by the environment minister with the Tharu tribal community in Uttar Pradesh’s Dudhwa region and the Soliga tribals in Karnataka.

“These efforts ensured their active involvement in management of tiger habitats and surrounding forest areas, both of which elicited a very good response,” it said.

On the issue of encroachment, the ministry said it relies on data provided by state governments and Union Territories.

“The status of forest encroachments remains dynamic… The allegations being made that MoEFCC submits legally untenable data on encroachment in different forums is totally incorrect, unfounded and does not hold any merit.”

Refuting the criticism about relocation of villages from tiger reserves, the ministry said: “The point quoted about the relocation of villages from core areas of tiger reserves is devoid of merit and misrepresentation of facts. The voluntary relocation of villages is a key strategy in India’s wildlife

conservation efforts.”