Denying any "concrete proposal" to amend the Forest Rights Act 2006, union tribal affairs minister Jual Oram on Friday revealed that at present there are only "discussions" to explore possibility of some kind of relaxations for projects related to national highways, railways and (power) transmission lines.
"There are no definite proposals whatsoever to amend the FRA Act … there is nothing like that on any paper of my ministry," Jual Oram told dna while replying to a query regarding reported moves to amend the FRA Act to ease business climate.
Soon after coming into power of Prime Minister Narendra Modi led NDA government repeated reports have highlighted that the central government is looking at ways to amend the FRA Act 2006 to ease green clearance process for industries whose projects are stuck for years for want of permission from Gram Sabhas (village committees).
Passed by Congress led UPA, under the FRA Act it is a mandatory requirement for industries to seek consent from gram sabhas (village committees) to secure green clearances. Since then, in the past few years, it has come out as the one of the biggest hurdles for companies while trying to set up any infrastructure or other kind of projects.
The tribal affairs minister, however, revealed that some people (cabinet colleagues) are saying that construction of national highways, laying down of railway lines or new power transmission lines would benefit tribals as well.
"In FRA Act there is provisions for roads, dispensaries, drinking water supplies and other projects … now roads should include national highways too. So there is a discussion on such points … whether there could be some flexibility for such projects. But no ministry or minister – PMO, railway or highway ministry - has initiated such kind of proposal," explained Oram.
Oram, who himself is a tribal, was also India's first tribal affairs minister when the ministry was created during rule of the former NDA government by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. In an interview with dna in July, Oram had clearly said that he would not allow dilution of the FRA Act.
Several reports in the past few weeks have, however, hinted at concrete moves by central government including seeking advice of the union law ministry to find ways around provision of mandatory gram sabha permission for diversion of land.
On the issue, the union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar had recently said that "inter-departmental consultations is an ongoing process wherein everyone talks to each other (environment ministry, tribal ministry, law ministry and other players)". About possible amendments to the FRA Act, Javadekar had explicitly said, "If we need to amend the FRA Act, we would amend it."
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}