Tribals belonging to Paudi Bhuyan, Gond, lodha, Khadia, Bonda, Soura, Paraja communities of several districts participated in a State-level consultation on habitat rights of the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) under the Forests Rights Act (FRA) held here on Tuesday.
Community leaders of Paudi Bhuyan alleged that no Government is complying with or giving importance to the provisions made for the PVTGs in the Constitution. They also warned to launch agitations in coming days in protest against the Government’s step-motherly attitude towards them.
At the consultation, organised by NGO ActionAid in association with its partner oranisation Jeevan Vikash here, speakers discussed on various problems faced by the tribal groups and the environment, shelter and culture rights of such people. They opined that rights of the PVTGs should be given preference.
Supreme Court lawyer Sanjay Upadhyay spoke about the injustice made to the people belonging to primitive tribal groups by the Government in the name of development. Stressing on tribal people’s deprivation of fundamental rights, journalist Nilambar Rath highlighted the role of media in addressing the issue.
ActionAid programme manager Ghasiram Panda and programme officer BN Durga also spoke.