Current Affairs: Passage of the Day - 8 January 2025 | Current Affairs: Daily, Weekly & Monthly - CLAT PDF Download

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Taking cognisance of petitions and complaints from 52 villages on non-recognition of forest rights and attempts at forceful eviction in and around Rani Durgavati Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) has directed the Madhya Pradesh government to examine the matter and resolve it in consultation with state forest departments and concerned district collectors.
The Centre wrote to the Madhya Pradesh tribal welfare department on December 23 after receiving representations from 52 gram sabhas from Damoh, Narsinghpur and Sagar districts. In the representations, it has been alleged that after Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve was notified in September 2023, forest rights claims were denied and villagers were pushed to relocate outside the reserve forcefully, in violation of the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006, and Wildlife Protection Act (WLPA), 2006.
Further, villagers have been restricted from accessing forest resources, forest produce and farms, it has been alleged. “It may be noted that alienation of the communities from exercising their rights as stipulated under FRA, 2006, is a violation of the Act. Therefore, as state governments are FRA implementing authority, it is advised that matters may be examined and resolved in consultation with state forest departments, the concerned district collectors and DFOs,” the MoTA stated in its letter to the MP government.
Spread over 2,339 sq km, Rani Durgavati is MP’s newest tiger reserve. It was created by adding the areas of Rani Durgavati and Nauradehi wildlife sanctuaries. In fact, it was formed to compensate for 100 sq km of prime forest that will get submerged in the Panna tiger reserve due to the Ken Betwa River linking project.
The letter was also marked to the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes division of the MoTA and Damoh, Sagar and Narsinghpur district collectors for necessary action. Further, it was also marked to the National Tiger Conservation Authority for action and for issuing appropriate directions to wildlife wardens so as to safeguard the interests of the communities.
The Wildlife Protection Act enables forest departments to create ‘inviolate’ areas, which are free of human settlements, for tiger conservation. However, such inviolate areas are to be created only after the rights of tribal and forest-dwelling communities are recognised and settled, as per the provisions of the WLPA and FRA. After recognition of rights, villagers can be relocated and rehabilitated only if they wish to do so voluntarily, as per law.
“Specifically, for critical wildlife habitats, it has been laid down in FRA and also in WLPA that certain conditions like free, prior and informed consent of the Gram Sabha and affected community’s participation in decisions must be met before the state government can commence relocation in any forest area,” the MoTA stated in its letter.
When asked about the allegations regarding the non-recognition of rights, Abdul Aleem Ansari, Divisional Forest Officer, Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary, denied them.
“We are not evicting any family forcefully. We have informed eligible families and villages regarding the package we can offer. There are a total of 93 villages inside the tiger reserve, of which 40 have been relocated since 2014, originally from the Nauradehi sanctuary area. We are in the process of relocating eight villages, and the rest are not being relocated currently because we do not have the budget for them,” Ansari told The Indian Express.
“The highest number of villages are in Damoh district, followed by Sagar and Narsinghpur,” Ansari added.
When contacted for comment, Damoh district Collector Sudhir Kumar Kochar did not respond to questions regarding the villagers’ allegations and instead asked to speak to Ansari.
[Excerpt from HT "Forest Rights Dispute in Madhya Pradesh" Dated 08/01/25]

Q1: Why was the Rani Durgavati Tiger Reserve established?
(a) To promote tourism in Madhya Pradesh
(b) To compensate for the loss of forest due to the Ken Betwa River linking project
(c) To provide new habitats for wildlife displaced by urbanization
(d) To establish the largest tiger reserve in India

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Q2: Which districts have raised concerns about the denial of forest rights in the reserve?
(a) Damoh, Jabalpur, and Sagar
(b) Damoh, Narsinghpur, and Sagar
(c) Bhopal, Narsinghpur, and Damoh
(d) Sagar, Bhopal, and Jabalpur

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Q3: What legal acts are cited in the allegations against the denial of forest rights?
(a) Forest Rights Act (FRA) of 2006 and Wildlife Conservation Act of 1972
(b) Wildlife Protection Act (WLPA) of 2006 and Indian Forest Act of 1927
(c) Forest Rights Act (FRA) of 2006 and Wildlife Protection Act (WLPA) of 2006
(d) Indian Penal Code and Forest Conservation Act of 1980

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Q4: How many villages are currently within the Rani Durgavati Tiger Reserve?
(a) 93
(b) 52
(c) 40
(d) 100

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Q5: What role does the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) play in this dispute?
(a) Organizing relocation packages for affected villagers
(b) Monitoring tiger conservation in the reserve
(c) Investigating complaints about the violation of tribal rights
(d) Enforcing environmental protection laws

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