Thousands of tribal farmers march in Mumbai demanding land rights
After about 11 days of peaceful protests, thousands of tribal farmers from Palghar and Nashik have participated in long marches demanding fair land rights.
Organized by the All India Kisan Sabha and CPI(M), the movement called for official recognition of their forest lands under the Forest Rights Act, plus better irrigation and more job opportunities.
Balancing tribal rights with forest conservation remains tricky
Many tribal farmers say they're locked out of government schemes because their land claims keep getting rejected—over 45% of claims under the Forest Rights Act have been rejected so far.
The state government has started talks with protest leaders, but balancing tribal rights with forest conservation is still tricky.
As ecologist Madhav Gadgil notes, there is an "ideological tension" between traditional conservation approaches and the Forest Rights Act, and misinterpretation of the Act has led to anomalies.