Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said that no negligence or delay will be tolerated in providing the rights due to each and every member of the Scheduled Tribe community in the state. A large number of claims of forest rights pattas of tribals have been declared invalid, which is not right. Officers should examine each claim with full sensitivity and promptness and ensure that every eligible tribal gets a forest patta.

Chief Minister Chouhan was reviewing the redressal of forest rights claims in the meeting of Tribal Welfare Department at Mantralaya today. Forest Minister Kunwar Vijay Shah was present at the meeting. Tribal Welfare, Scheduled Caste Welfare Minister Sushri Meena Singh attended the meeting through video conferencing from Umaria. Along with this, Chief Secretary Iqbal Singh Bains, Principal Secretary, Tribal Welfare and Principal Secretary Forest Department were present at the meeting.

I will go amidst tribals myself

Chief Minister Chouhan said that he himself will go amidst the tribals to check whether the claim of forest rights patta of any eligible tribal has been rejected. If so, strict action will be taken against the officer concerned. He asked ministers Kunwar Vijay Shah and Sushri Meena Singh to investigate the matter of forest rights claims.

Village Forest Rights Committees dispose 92 thousand 470 claims

It was informed in the meeting that the village forest rights committees have resolved 92 thousand 470 claims out of one lakh 67 thousand 108 pending claims. Out of these claims, 36 thousand 241 (39.19 percent) claims have been accepted and 56 thousand 229 (60.8 percent) claims have been declared invalid. Expressing displeasure on this, Chief Minister Chouhan directed that every claim should be re-examined. No eligible tribal should be deprived of the forest rights patta.