Ensure draft forest policy is not pro-industry, protects tribals, says House panel

The Parliamentary panel on environment and forests has raised serious concerns on the Draft National Forest Policy for its bent towards commercialisation of forest and industry interests. Once finalised, this document will supersede the National Forest Policy, 1988.

In its report tabled in Parliament on February 12, the panel criticised the environment ministry for not taking the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) into confidence while drafting the policy. It has recommended that before finalising the policy, the environment ministry should hold wider consultations with the MoTA to protect the rights of tribals, granted under the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006 and Panchayat Extension to Scheduled Areas (PESA) Act, 1996.

Unlike the older policy, which banned any private interests from using forests for commercial purposes, the draft policy has proposed easing of existing felling and transit regime across the country to promote cultivation, harvesting, transportation and marketing of wood. This has been widely criticised by environmentalists and tribal affairs ministry alike.

Soon after the draft policy was made public, senior MoTA officials had questioned the environment ministry's ambit over drafting a law on forests that will impact millions of farmers. MoTA officials had conveyed to the House panel that the policy disregarded the role of tribals in conservation efforts and it does not reflect a paradigm shift in forest governance, management and conservation through by enactment of FRA and PESA Acts.

The House panel has said that there is a general perception that the draft policy emphasizes on commercialisation of forests through public-private partnership model. Apprehensions have been raised that the policy would curtail the rights of tribals and forest-dwelling communities on ownership and control of non-timber forest produce, said the report.

Environment ministry officials clarified to the panel that MoTA's views were received in March-May 2018 and they were considered. They added that timber produce would be allowed outside natural forests to meet timber demands of the country, while natural forests which tribal communities survive on would be conserved in consultation with MoTA.

The panel recommended that MoTA must be taken on board along with state and local governments, NGOs and civil society groups before notifying final policy document.

"The Committee, therefore, recommends that adequate safeguards be taken after due consultations with the stakeholders in order to protect the forests from over exploitation by private parties along with the legitimate rights of tribals and Gram Sabhas," the House panel said.

Panel Suggestions

• Environment ministry must hold talks with tribal affairs ministry to protect rights of forest-dwellers
• Tribal affairs ministry apart, authorities must also discuss with local governments and civil society before firming up the policy