Adivasi Peoples Parliament Urges GOI and GOK to Take Necessary Action for Uplifting Tribals
The Adivasi Peoples Parliament has been continuously urging the Government of India (GOI) and the Government of Karnataka (GOK) to take necessary action for uplifting the tribal community. On 8th January 2021, the first Adivasi Parliament assembled at Hunsur and passed 17 resolutions. The same was submitted by Sreekant DEED to the State Government and His Excellency The Governor of Karnataka for necessary action. The Honorable MLA SriHPManjunath Hunsur drew the attention of the House in Karnataka Assembly. However, there has been no positive response from the Government.
For the second time, the Adivasis Parliament assembled again at Hunsur on 26th January 2022 on the Republic day and resolved the same 17 resolutions and urged the Government of Karnataka to take sincere action to help the tribals to live a decent life. The Adivasi Peoples Parliament has urged the Government to take up the Rehabilitation of 3418 tribal families as per High Court PIL order and Its Committee report recommendations on war foot by allotting Rs1500000 and sanctioning 5 acres of land as rehabilitation package per family. This would require a total of Rs5127000000 Rupees Five Hundred Twelve Crore and Seventy Lakhs to be allotted in the State Budget.
In addition, the State Government has to allot 17090 acres of land, preferably Forest land in the boarder of National park Nagarahole, as part of rehabilitation package for 3418 Historically displaced tribal families. The Adivasi Peoples Parliament has also requested for a Tribal and Forest University to be established in Hunsur Kalbetta Area. The Environmentalist Sri Yellappa Reddy has given his recommendations to start the Tribal and forest university in Hunsur Kalbetta Area which is centre place for Kodagu Mysore Hassan and Chamaraja Nagar Districts.
For the third time, the Adivasi Peoples Parliament met on 26th January 2023 at Hunsur at DEED Campus and passed 18 resolutions. The same was submitted to The Chief Minister GOK Vidhana Soudha Bangalore, The Beloved Prime Minister GOI Parliament NewDelhi through our MP Sri Prathap Simha and our MLA SriHPManjunath and our Assistant Commissioner Hunsur for necessary action to uplift Tribals for quality and decent life.
In spite of repeated requests, there has been no positive response from the Government. The Beloved Prime Minister visited Mysore on 9th April to celebrate 50 years of Tigar project in the Bandipur National Park. The local administration was requested to give an opportunity to meet the Prime Minister but it was not permitted. The Adivasi Peoples Parliament mourned the 50 years of tribal displacement without rehabilitation and the difficult life without forest that the displaced tribals had to suffer for 5 decades.
The Adivasi Peoples Parliament is again approaching the Government through their PVTG team who will meet with the Prime Minister in June 2023 and submit a memorandum on the day they get an opportunity to meet with him along with the Tribal research institute Director DrSreenivas. The memorandum will include 18 resolutions that need to be attended to and impress GOI and GOK for appropriate action to end the suffering of tribals and create opportunity for quality life with dignity.
The following resolutions need to be attention and impress GOI and GOK for appropriate action to end the suffering of tribals and create opportunity for quality life with dignity:
1. Kasturi Rangan Report should be rejected in order to protect the rights of Adivasis and Farmers in the Western Ghat regions. And implement forest rights act 2006 in letter and Spirit to provide individual forest land rights(IFR) and community forest rights(CFR) and established symbiotic relationship in order to protect Adivasi, Wild life and Forest in the larger interest. Forest without tribals will not remain as home for Wild animals. Tribal should be there as part of nature and forest life.
2. Take back the order of the declaring Bandipur and Nagarahole National Park as Tiger reserves in order to protect the forest rights of the Adivasis as per Forest Rights Act 2006.
3. Impalement High Court PIL order WP NO 14379/99 Dated 03 April 2009, and high court committee report dated 5 th August 2014 to provide decent rehabilitation to 3418 historically displaced tribal families who were displaced from Nagarahole National Park without rehabilitation.
4. As per Professor Assadi committee Report recommendations (High court Committee Report) survey should be conducted to identify displaced tribal families in other National parks and to rehabilitate the displaced families on Par with court committee recommendations.
5. Provide Internal Reservation for Adivasis among ST quota, make four categories.1.Particularly vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG). 2. Tribal groups who have history of Forest dwelling – Forest dependent Tribes. 3. Nomadic and Semi Nomadic Tribes. 4. General ST communities who have Rural and Urban background. Adivasi Peoples Parliament appreciated Government of India recognizing Betta kuruba in Karnataka ST list. It is necessary to remove kaadu kuruba and Kodagina kuruba from Karnataka ST list as there is no Tribal community in this name. This will only create opportunity for vested groups to get into ST category from backdoor, to knock the benefits of ST.
6. Tribal owned agricultural lands should be given final land records of ownership by completing Pakka Podu, The Darkas Land under the control of tribal families should be given title deeds. The Encroached tribal lands by non tribal farmers should be vacated and position should be given to tribals. 1838 land less tribal families in Hunsur should be given land with title deeds along with agricultural support, Similarly landless tribal families in H.D.Kote, Sargur and Piriyapatna be given land on priority.
7. Out of 219 tribal villages in Mysore district, 200 hadis are out of forest land and are in fringes of forest should be declared as revenue villages and provide all civic amenities and 4000 new houses should be built and 4000 old houses needs to be repaired for safety and decent living. Every tribal Hadi should be given Birsa Munda community hall to conduct Grama sabhas, Cultural events, to run community forest rights office, Library, shops, other governments meetings and Trainings.
8. Declare tribal areas in Karnataka, particularly Western Ghat regions 9 Districts, 38 Taluks, 1500 Tribal Hadi, Podu, Doddi etc. and their Traditional Jamma Forests as fifth scheduled areas in order to implement The Provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to schedule areas) Act 1996 – PESA 96, in order to provide self governance and constitutionally guaranteed rights for Adivasis. Declare tribal panchayats separating from rural Gram Panchayats in order to safe guard tribal interest and their empowerment for quality and decent life.
9. Approach roads to 219 hadis should be taken up. On priorities providing Safe drinking water, electricity connection to each house, solar electricity for forest villages, re connecting electricity to disconnected houses with government cost, initiating pre schools in each hadis for children below 6 years of age, and nutrition for malnourished, pregnant and lactating mothers and seniors should be provided.
10. Providing Quality Educations in Tribal residential schools and Government schools in order to help them to assimilate with mainstream society by developing self confidence to acquire democratic values and characters. Promote Tribal languages in pre primary centers and Government Primary Schools in Tribal areas. In order to protect their Identity and Mother Tung- Jenunudi, Panjari yaravanudi, Pani yaravanudi, Bettakuruba nudi, Soliga nudi, Iruliga nudi etc. Hostel facility for Ballenahalli hadi, Tharikal rangayyana kopal hadi and Ashram school for Thekkal hadi and Madayyana katte be given to help the tribal children to continue their education even after 8 th standard.
11. Special attention should be given to each tribal family to provide ration cards/Anthyodaya cards for Anna Bhagya and Central Government nutrition package for food security. Forest rights should be recognized immediately in order to protect their ancestral properties, cultural identity and livelihood resource base to maintain symbiotic relationship with Forest and wild life.
12. Increase the amount for pensioners - widows, physically challenged, senior’s citizens and Government welfare schemes. And reduce the age limit from 65 to 60years for Sandhya Suraksha benefits for seniors. Tribal traditional leaders should be considered as religious leaders and Archakas for tribal temples and provide monthly Honorarium from Government, as given in the case of Mujarayee Temples Archakas (pujaris). Enforce strict laws, not to convert Particularly vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG) and other Adivasi Tribal Groups into other religion by the converters and promoters their western religion. Protect Adivasi Prakruthi Darma as their identity and spirit by recognizing their rights over Traditional Forests to get access to their worshiping places, Burial grounds, Minor forest produce collection area and habitat areas as guaranteed in The Constitution of India and Forest Rights Act 2006. As per report census of India 1931 Mysore consider Betta Kuruba, Eruliga, Soliga, Panjari and Pani Yarava as PVTG on par with Jenu kuruba and Koraga. All this tribes have food gathering culture and forest dependent history.
13. Encourage Tribal herbal medicine and products by promoting herbal practitioners in tribal villages. Start Tribal cultural and language academy and sports clubs as per the provisions of the constitution to protect their traditional and cultural wisdom and practices to maintain their identity as distinct people of nature worshipping and environment friendly.
14. Help Adivasis to have their hadi office to run their forest rights committee meetings, Grama sabha meetings, Women SHG’s meetings, youth and children meetings, cultural and spiritual meetings by providing suitable infrastructure by constructing Birsa Mandir in each hadi. Construction should be qualitative and according to tribal design.
15. Organizing Technical skill trainings for Adivasis young men and women to find new avenues for livelihood opportunities. ( Computer, Tailoring, Driving, Arts and Crafts, Musical folk dance, Carpentry, Honey Processing, Construction houses, plumbing, electric and mobile repair, solar and UPS, Bore well and mechanical repair, tree climbing, archery, etc).
16. MLA constituencies reserved for ST are not in tribal area except HD Kote, all other fourteen constituencies are in North Karnataka region. Tribal cannot contest in those regions as they do not have their population. Therefore at least two MLC’s should be nominated from among Adivasis communities. And Six MLA seats in Western Ghat region should be reserved for Adivasi areas, covering Mysore, Kodagu, Chamaraj Nagar, chikkamagalur, Dakshina kannada and utthar Kannada. Similarly five Zilla Panchayat president posts should be reserved for Adivasis along with internal reservations.
17. A).Declare Hunsur Sub Divison as new district in the name of Devaraj Urs or Kaatunadu. B). Rejuvenate Lakshman Thirtha River in Hunsur thalluk and protect it from pollution in panchayt head quarter areas and Hunsur city. Create walking path on both side of the River, develop trees, create view points with seat arrangements. So that River can be protected and its benefit can be drawn. C).Create and Develop a modal Hadi in Hunsur city limit to accommodate atleast 100 intrested tribal families to leave in Hunsur city/ urban atmosphere like other community in Hunsur city with special package – Hadi in City (Nagaradalli ondu hadi).
18. Issue guidelines to recognized habitat rights over their ancestral forest/ traditional forest for PVTG Jenu Kurubas as per FRA 2006, Sec 3.1.e- habitat rights for PVTG and displaced families to get back their forest rights as per Sec 3.1.m.
