"Hopeful for suspension of Forest Conservation Act in tribal areas of Himachal Pradesh": HP Minister Jagat Negi

Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], June 7 (ANI): Revenue and Tribal Development Minister Jagat Singh Negi met the governor of Himachal Pradesh, Shiv Pratap Shukla, on Friday and demanded his intervention to approve the file for suspension of the Forest Conservation Act in tribal areas of the state.
Speaking to ANI here on Friday, Jagat Negi said that he is hopeful that the governor will approve the proposal of the cabinet of the state government and that the tribal people will get Nautor land.
Nautor is waste land owned by the central government outside towns, reserved and demarcated as protected forests, and given for use with the sanction of a competent authority.
Negi also expressed hope that Congress MP Rahul Gandhi would take on the role of LoP in the Lok Sabha.
"In Himachal Pradesh, a rule was passed in 1968, the Nautor rule. According to this rule, there was provision for providing land to those who had less than 20 bighas of land, and the government used to provide up to 20 bighas of land on minimum tax. This rule had benefited thousands of landless people in the state. In 1980, the Forest Conservation Act was implemented, and the Nautor rule ended. But in tribal areas, the Nautor rule continued, and the tribal people were receiving the benefits even after that for a long period of time. Later, the Supreme Court directed strict implementation of the Forest Conservation Act across the country, and it stopped all Nautor land allotment in tribal areas as well," he said.
"In 2014, the Congress government, under the Chief Ministership of Virbhadra Singh, passed a resolution to the governor under Schedule 5 for the suspension of the Forest Conservation Act 1980 to provide Nautor to the tribal people. Initially, it was suspended for two years, from 2014 to 2016, with conditions that made it tough to get Nautor. In 2016-2018, we suspended the act for two years with amendments, and people were getting Nautor land in my Assembly area. I provided 528 Nautor land to the tribal people. Over 6,000 cases were identified and in 2018, the BJP government provided a single Nautor. We raised issue in opposition in 2020. It was extended, but the government did not sanction the single Nautor for tribal areas, said Jagat Negi.
"I met the governor today and have requested that he use the rights and power under Schedule 5 to suspend forest conservation and approve the proposal of the cabinet to grant Nautor land to tribal people. I am hopeful that he will approve it. Last year, the tribal development advisory council also gave a resolution to the governor of Himachal Pradesh. We are hopeful thousands of tribal people will get benefits from the Nautor land," stated Negi. (ANI)