Brij Kishore Singh Livres

The book highlights the disastrous effects of the “Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, and Rules, 2008” on India's forests. Through detailed accounts from Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, and Karnataka, it illustrates how this legislation, intended to address historical injustices, has led to significant deforestation, fragmentation, and degradation of millions of hectares within just fifteen years. The narrative emphasizes the complicity of ambitious politicians, opportunistic activists, and compliant bureaucrats in the Act's implementation, which has facilitated the regularization of unauthorized forest encroachments, undermining the achievements of the Forest (Conservation) Act of 1980. Additionally, it critiques the Act's open-ended provisions for claiming rights, which have led to rampant new encroachments across the country. Given the critical role of forest ecosystems in sustaining human life and the alarming implications of the FRA for India's already vulnerable forests, the book advocates for the repeal of the Act to prevent further ecological disaster.