Tribal stake in plantations
The move to allow the private sector to invest in plantations to help restore degraded forest area is a pragmatic acceptance of the fact that public land like public money is often seen as not belonging to anyone and blatantly exploited by a nexus of corrupt politicians, pliable bureaucrats and crooked contractors. Which has resulted in a situation where forest produce like bamboo can be accessed by the haves for a fraction of the price a selfemployed basket-weaver has to pay! It is an iniquitous system, which sometimes throws up brigands like Veerappan, who, even while meeting the demands of this corrupt nexus, claim to be acting in the tribals’ interests by providing them alternate employment where they live! That Veerappan thrived for so long speaks volumes of the tribals’ faith in a callous state.
The move to invite the private sector to help restore degraded forest area should be seen in the context of the failure of the existing system and the rapid depletion of India’s forest wealth. The rationale is that the private sector, unlike the cash-strapped state, has the resources and the organisational skills to regenerate degraded forest land. However, adequate safeguards have to be built into the policy framework to ensure that the benefits accrue to all stakeholders. One way of doing this is to speedily introduce the Scheduled Tribes (Recognition of Forest Rights) Bill and implement the Provision of Panchayat (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act 1996. Flyby-night operators of the kind who floated dubious money-grows-on-trees schemes should be kept out. Above all, there has to be a structured approach which not just identifies land for private participation but also the appropriate usage. For instance, degraded land abutting sanctuaries could be used to promote sustainable eco-tourism. If Bilt can acquire Malaysia’s SFI and access forest land in Sabah, a policy of encouraging corporate India to work with empowered tribals to regenerate India’s forest wealth should be welcomed!
-- The Economic Times Editorial
The move to invite the private sector to help restore degraded forest area should be seen in the context of the failure of the existing system and the rapid depletion of India’s forest wealth. The rationale is that the private sector, unlike the cash-strapped state, has the resources and the organisational skills to regenerate degraded forest land. However, adequate safeguards have to be built into the policy framework to ensure that the benefits accrue to all stakeholders. One way of doing this is to speedily introduce the Scheduled Tribes (Recognition of Forest Rights) Bill and implement the Provision of Panchayat (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act 1996. Flyby-night operators of the kind who floated dubious money-grows-on-trees schemes should be kept out. Above all, there has to be a structured approach which not just identifies land for private participation but also the appropriate usage. For instance, degraded land abutting sanctuaries could be used to promote sustainable eco-tourism. If Bilt can acquire Malaysia’s SFI and access forest land in Sabah, a policy of encouraging corporate India to work with empowered tribals to regenerate India’s forest wealth should be welcomed!
-- The Economic Times Editorial
posted by Loco at Wednesday, June 07, 2006
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