Minister of Tribal Affairs Kantilal Bhuria said till now each state was making its own policy due to which the overall development of the community was not taking place. "Ministers or representatives of all states are present to discuss tribal policies and the aim is to improve the life of tribals in the country and ensure that they get their rights," he told reporters.
With a focus on this, the Committee will prepare a national policy and present the draft to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh so that it is cleared in a few months when he chairs the next meeting, he said.
"The ministry is also working towards implementation of Forest Dwellers (recognition of Forest Rights) Act. Of the 30 lakh people who have applied for forest land rights, the claims of 14 lakh tribals have been rejected due to certain reasons, while 11 lakh people from the community have got their land rights," Bhuria said. He said the ministry`s endeavour is also to strengthen the Panchayati Raj system so that tribals and forest dwellers can approach such forums for their rights.
"Efforts are on to bring in a Bill for this," the minister said. PTI