Dwindling Ban Raji tribals seek their rights

Dwindling Ban Raji tribals seek their rights

B.D. Kasniyal

Pithoragarh, Oct 10

Representatives of dwindling Ban Raji community off Uttaarakhand, which is the lone primitive Scheduled Tribe of the state, have demanded that their forest dwellers community be given rights under Forest Rights Act of 2006 ( Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers (recognition of forest rights) Act 2006.

They demanded that the land allocated to them under the act be included in revenue records, to help their community come out from primitive state.

The new generation leaders of Raji community, that resides in 9 localities of Pithoragarh and one locality of Champawat district since time immemorial, gathered today at a seminar, named ‘Hamari kahani, Hamari jubani,’ organised by Raji Janjati Sangthan with the help of a NGO, that is working with the community from last 30 years.

“We want the 83 land lease, given to Ban Raji of community under the Forest Rights Act, 2006, be converted into revenue leases and recorded as revenue land,” said Kavita, a young woman from Raji Janjati Sangthan.

“Due to non-conversion of forest leases into revenue ones, the already endangered and dwindling community is not in position to assert them as land owners and advance the agrarian work to sustain them.” said Kavita.

Ban Raji youth, speaking from dais, some for the first time raised the issues of regular livelihood, allocating seats for them in ITI Didihat in their favorable trades and forming of a separate Gram Sabha by integrating localities of Kimkhola, Ganagao and Bhagtirwa in Dharchula sub-division.

“Our main problem is regular employment for each household to enable them to protect their families from hunger and illness and to educate their coming generation,” said Kavita.

Renu Thakur, the director of ARPAN, a non-government organisation, that is working in Raji localities from last 30 years to make them aware of their rights, said that a new and aware leadership has now emerged in Raji community, that has started demanding their dues under Forest Act.

“The new generation of community is also aware towards education. Two of them have graduated and several others are also studying in intermediate classes and schools. Few decades ago, the entire community was entirely illiterate and unaware  of their rights,” said Renu Thakur.