The story so far: The Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs has prepared a new policy framework that outlines the procedures to be followed when implementing existing laws governing the relocation of forest-dwelling communities from tiger reserves.
This policy brief reiterates that relocations be considered a last resort and that if they are carried out, the rights of forest-dwelling Scheduled Tribes and others must be settled under the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006, first. Notably, the policy brief spells out mechanisms that allow these communities to continue residing within tiger reserves and also provides for measures that include them in the conservation and management of the biodiversity within the reserves.
