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Another Wave of Forest and Adivasi Land Alienation? Revenue versus Forest Pattayam and Adivasi Land Question in Kerala


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1 Assistant Professor, Centre for Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram 695011, Kerala, India
2 Assistant Professor, MES Asmabi College, Kodungallur 680307, Kerala, India
     

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This article examines the Kerala government decision to issue revenue land rights to individuals, including scheduled caste and scheduled tribes in a few districts. It also looks at a circular issued by the state forest department to do away with the myriad of issues associated with the implementation of the Forest Right Act, 2006 (FRA) in the state. Such a decision in the wake of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has raised suspicion among the community and triggered arguments and counterarguments within major tribal groups and activists in the state. These documents seem to be a clear violation of FRA. We argue that the policies might help the government and private land mafia to acquire tribal land for large-scale commercial use that further vitiate the adivasi land question in the state.

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  • Another Wave of Forest and Adivasi Land Alienation? Revenue versus Forest Pattayam and Adivasi Land Question in Kerala

Abstract Views: 512  |  PDF Views: 0

Authors

Abhilash Thadathil
Assistant Professor, Centre for Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram 695011, Kerala, India
Amitha Bachan K.H.
Assistant Professor, MES Asmabi College, Kodungallur 680307, Kerala, India

Abstract


This article examines the Kerala government decision to issue revenue land rights to individuals, including scheduled caste and scheduled tribes in a few districts. It also looks at a circular issued by the state forest department to do away with the myriad of issues associated with the implementation of the Forest Right Act, 2006 (FRA) in the state. Such a decision in the wake of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has raised suspicion among the community and triggered arguments and counterarguments within major tribal groups and activists in the state. These documents seem to be a clear violation of FRA. We argue that the policies might help the government and private land mafia to acquire tribal land for large-scale commercial use that further vitiate the adivasi land question in the state.

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.21648/arthavij%2F2022%2Fv64%2Fi1%2F212214