Primitive Tribals of Odisha allege violation of rights by Forest Department Officials: When the tribal community of Kiri village in Odisha's Sundargarh district opted to shift from a village in the interior forests to a place that is one KM towards the bordering forests, what made the forest department people to oppose the shifting and go to the extent of torching the huts of the tribals? Are the forest department officials empowered to do so with members of a Primitive Tribal Group (PTG)? Is such an act by forest department people permitted under the laws meant for protecting the rights of the tribals and for protection of the forests? HNF Correspondent >>> Read More

Summer heat and ground fire put forest and wildlife at risk in Odisha: The heat of the scorching Sun added with ground fire in different forests have made the forests unfit for the wildlife because the water sources have gone dry. This is the reason why wildlife is more often risking by venturing into human habitations for food and water. On Tuesday, 8 May 2012, an elephant calf fell in a dried up well while in search of water in Bolangir's Agalpur. The calf was rescued by combined efforts of villagers and forest department people. Another elephant died of heatstroke in Kamaksha Nagar of Denkanal district on April 27, 2012. Basudev Mahapatra >>> Read More

TRP race in Media: No to Assam Tragedy, Yes to Arushi Murder! On Monday, India’s remote northeastern state of Assam saw probably its biggest tragedy in recent memory, when an overloaded ferry carrying about 300 people sank in the Brahmaputra river, killing at least 103 people. However, the bigger tragedy perhaps was the minimal coverage it got in the national media. Apart from The Hindu, which had the accident as its top story, none of the leading dailies in the country gave it much coverage beyond a mention on the front page. IndologyGoa >>> Read More

Projects cannot get Forest land without consent of affected Villages: Under the Forest Rights Act, forest dwellers have rights over individual and community lands, minor forest produce, water bodies, grazing areas, and so on. They also have the legal right and power to protect and manage forests. Despite this being a clear provision of law, the Ministry of Environment and Forests in India has been granting "forest clearance" (i.e., permission for handing over forest land) to hundreds of projects as if people's rights do not exist. Campaign for Survival and Dignity >>> Read More

Growing women atrocities in Odisha: Issue of women safety needs to be seen from social perspective: Since the murder of Chhabirani, a woman journalist of Odisha, in the year 1980 till today, thousands of women have fallen victim to the heinous instincts of men. As per claims made on the basis of a white paper tabled in Odisha Assembly, about 4,100 cases under section 376 (rape) were registered with Odisha police during last three years. Basudev Mahapatra >>> Read More