India’s New Reforestation Law Ignores Indigenous People, Analysts Say
▻http://www.voanews.com/content/indias-new-reforestation-law-ignores-indigenous-people-analysts-say/3440041.html
A new Indian law to boost reforestation across the country ignores the importance of indigenous people in conserving land and tramples on their rights, analysts and activists said.
India’s upper house of parliament passed a bill late on Thursday that would give state governments more than 60 billion rupees ($895 million) a year to conserve and protect forests and wildlife.
“It is a good bill,” Minister of State of Environment Anil Madhav Dave said in a statement, adding that the new law would help to focus reforestation efforts in a concerted way.
Most of the funds under the Compensatory Afforestation, Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) law would be used to restock denuded forests, Dave said.
The law would also help to create employment, especially in poor regions and areas that are traditionally home to indigenous communities, he said.
However, critics of the law said the money would be better spent on helping local communities who are already engaged in conserving their habitats.