Legacy of an empire

Encouraged by their ninth century benevolent rulers, Gond landlords and villagers had set up an intricate and immensely useful network of …

Fresh gram sabha meet ordered for Mahan coal block

Move follows close on the heels of high court order to probe earlier gram sabha resolution of Amelia village allowing mining, which residents …

A village in Maharashtra stands up for its rights

Residents of Lavari have blocked the construction of a transmission line to demand compensation for livelihood loss

MGNREGA is failing: 10 reasons why

The government is relying heavily on the MGNREGA MIS to show that all is well, while it should actually review its MIS system itself …

An attack on grassroots democracy?

Why the Jharkhand government is promoting illegal, parallel governance

Union Cabinet approves amendments in Wildlife (Protection) Act

Makes consultation with gram sabhas mandatory for notifying wildlife sanctuaries and national parks

Mendha Lekha gets record bamboo rate

Earns 2.5 times more than what the highest rate received by the forest department last year

40,000 trees cut near Odisha’s Talabira village to make way for coal mine

Local residents, in charge of forest for half a century, not taken into confidence before tree felling

'Progressive' Maharashtra governor must step in to save tribal land, rights

Communities expect Ch Vidyasagar Rao to stop massive diversion of their lands to sundry government projects

Gujarat's Narmada district takes a step forward in forest governance

Five years after 20 villages in the district got their Community Forest Rights titles, their Gram Sabhas have developed a draft of their …

Telangana’s revised District Mineral Foundation Rules to increase political interference

The amendment to the Rules has taken away the right of people to participate in making decisions on a fund meant for them

Forest conservation & consent: How Gram Sabhas halted risky projects in the past

The new rules for the the Forest Conservation Act (FCA) gazetted June 28, have repealed and replaced the earlier 2003 Forest Conservation Rules …

Amended Forest Rights Act rules notified; more powers to gram sabha

Forest department’s role in managing forest resources curtailed

Odisha Panchayat polls: Caught in a web of debt, exploitative labour only option for migrant villagers

Panchayat elections have little significance for migrant villagvers who won't be casting their votes

Mass protests in Mumbai, Dehradun against Centre’s attempts to undermine forest rights

Demonstrations follow T S R Subramanian Committee report recommending measures to fast-track environmental clearances

Gram sewaks protest NREGS pressure

Nine gram sewaks have committed suicide in past one year due to work stress

Javadekar says 69,000 ha of forest land diverted, govt data differs

According to MoEFCC’s e-governance portal eGreen, 72,685 ha of forest land was diverted

Study puts MGNREGS in Punjab under scanner

The employment scheme generated 20.23 average working days in the state against the mandated 100 days, according to a Punjabi University report

Whither freedom

Post independence, governments expanded squeezing village republics out of existence

‘Dilution of forest rights, interference by environment ministry unconstitutional’

Tribal groups raise concerns regarding delay in recognition of Community Forest Rights

New rules to make FRA effective

Tribal affairs ministry's draft rules under Forest Rights Act give more authority to the community in the process of settling forest rights

As told to Parliament (September 21, 2020): No data on farmers’ suicides, admits government

All that was discussed in the Houses through the day  

Concern over the government’s moves to dilute the requirement for Gram Sabha consent in violation of the Forest Right’s Act (FRA)

Don’t take away Gram Sabha’s powers under FRA: activists petition Modi

‘Central government's attempts to do away with consent of Gram Sabhas for diverting forests unconstitutional’

Ministers mount pressure to dilute Forest Rights Act

Tribal affairs minister asked to withdraw objections to Maharashtra’s Village Forest Rules that allow forest department take control over …