LS passes Tribal Rights Bill

New Delhi, Dec 15 (UNI) The Lok Sabha today passed by voice vote the amended Scheduled Tribes and other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Bill that would give land rights to the forest dwellers and tribals by enhancing the land holding from the present level of 2.5 hectares to 4 hectares and simultaneously allow them the rights over minor forest produce.

The landholding rights will be given to those who were dwelling in the forests or in the notified forest areas for the past three generations with cut off date as on December 13, 2006, against the previous plan to have the cut off date of 1980.

The lone member S K Bwiswmuthiary (Ind), representing the Scheduled Tribe constituency of Kokrajhar in Asom, staged a walkout in protest as all of his proposed amendments were negated by the House.

Earlier, in disgust, Mr Bwiswmuthiary said that by not accepting his amendments, the Government was running away from its responsibility and it should rather take away the Bodoland Autonomous Development Council (BADC).

Earlier, replying on the bill, the Tribal Affairs Minsiter P R Kyndiah said, ''This bill fulfills the long cherished dream of our late Prime Minister Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru in 1950 when he said that Tribals should have the rights over land and fodder.'' Mr Kyndiah said this bill was conceived with the object to improve the conditions of the tribals in the country.

He said the tribals and the forest dwellers were always under fear of being uprooted from the place and this bill would remove this fear from their mindset once and forever.

He said it was not correct to blame the tribals and forest dwelling people for the devastation of these forests. The official figures, however, said that whereever the tribals were, the forest was there.

There were 87 districts with dense forests in the country and tribal population and the forest dwellers in those parts were in large numbers, he added.

The Minister said once Mr Nehru wrote to Mrs Indira Gandhi that it was better to know the history but it was always good to make history and the house was making a history by passing this bill, he said.

Responding to the apprehensions expressed by most of the members from the North-Eastern states about the heavy influx of illegal migrants from across the border, the Minister said the Government was fully aware of the situation and would deal firmly to tackle that problem.

Eds: Here pick up suitably from earlier series.

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