The Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Shri. Durgadas Uikey informed today in Lok Sabha that the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) is mandated to inquire into complaints regarding the deprivation of rights and safeguards of the Scheduled Tribes which include issues related to alienation, development, atrocities, forest right claims, etc. including displacement of Scheduled Tribes from Tiger Reserve areas on a case-to-case basis and makes appropriate recommendations to the concerned authorities, wherever warranted.

A few representations regarding voluntary village relocation from Tiger Reserves have been forwarded to the NTCA by the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST). It has been clarified that the process of relocation of villages from Core/Critical Tiger Habitats is voluntary as per the provisions of Section 38 V (5) of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 2006, and Section 4(2) of the Forest Rights Act, 2006. The National Tiger Conservation Authority (Normative Standards for Tourism activities and Project Tiger) Guidelines, 2012, issued under section 38 O (1) (c) of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, are also available in the public domain which clearly outline the principle of voluntary relocation which has been reiterated to all State Governments in different forms, from time to time.

The implementation of village relocation is undertaken by the respective State Governments and Union Territory Administrations in accordance with the prescribed guidelines, and District Level Committees are constituted by the concerned States and Union Territories to facilitate effective implementation. The Guidelines issued by this authority provide for a rehabilitation package for voluntary village relocation, including settlement of rights, agricultural land and house construction etc. The framework also provides for provision of basic amenities and convergence with other Government schemes to ensure that relocated families are able to access welfare and development benefits. The financial assistance for voluntary relocation has been enhanced from ₹10 lakh to ₹15 lakh per family in 2021. Insofar as the Ministry of Tribal Affairs is concerned, the State Governments and UT Administrations have been exhorted to ensure that no rightful beneficiary is deprived of their forest rights, including compliance with Section 4(5) of the Forest Rights Act, 2006, which stipulates that the claimants cannot be evicted or removed from forest land under their occupation till the recognition and verification procedure is complete.

The National Tiger Conservation Authority has reiterated to all Tiger Range States that village rehabilitation shall be completely voluntary and that informed consent of the Gram Sabha and the concerned people shall be obtained before undertaking rehabilitation. The States have been advised to undertake voluntary village relocation in accordance with the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, the Forest Rights Act, 2006 and the guidelines issued by this authority. The National Tiger Conservation Authority (Normative Standards for Tourism activities and Project Tiger) Guidelines, 2012, issued under section 38 O (1) (c) of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, are also available in the public domain which clearly outline the principle of voluntary relocation which has been reiterated to all State Governments in different forms, from time to time. Consultations with the Gram Sabha are conducted by the respective State Governments which carry out thorough due diligence which incorporate prior informed consent and voluntariness as enshrined in the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and the Scheduled Tribes and Other Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006.

In order to ensure transparency of process, the said guidelines recommend that the relocation process could be monitored and implemented by the two committees namely, State Level Monitoring Committee & District Level Implementing Committee which consists of representatives from tribal welfare department too. Accordingly, an institutional mechanism for monitoring voluntary village relocation is already provided under the existing framework, and the concerned State Governments undertake relocation in accordance with the prescribed statutory provisions and guidelines. It is to be informed that there are no reports of involuntary or coerced relocation reported to this authority by the State-level Monitoring Committees and District-level Implementing Committees, which are mandated to oversee the process.

RN/

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