Empowerment of the Gram Sabhas
·
After
a seven-year struggle, a village in Himachal Pradesh has won the right to
decide whether or not a hydel power project should be set up in its area, under
the Forest Rights Act (FRA) by the National
Green Tribunal (NGT)
·
Issue: submergence of their pine nut trees due to
construction of the hydel project— deprivation of the local farmers of their
livelihood
·
NGT has directed the government to ensure that
prior to forest clearance to the Kashang Integrated Hydroelectric Project, the proposal is placed before a gram sabha
of villages in Kinnaur district.
Supreme
Court (2013)—Had
directed that the smallest units of local governance use their powers and take
a decision on whether the Vedanta Group’s $1.7 billion bauxite mining project
in Odisha’s Niyamgiri Hills should go forward. The verdict was not just a
victory for the Dongria
Kondh tribal group that had fought a long and hard battle against
the project, but as a validation
of the gram sabha’s powers under the FRA.
Is
this ‘empowerment’ contrary to the ‘Ease of Doing Business’ principles of the
government?
No—
·
People
today, are more aware of their needs and want development that empowers them,
not alienate them from their land or forests
·
The
“free and prior informed
consent” (FPIC) of communities is being seen as a necessary
tool for businesses, not only in India but all around the world
·
World Bank has made it mandatory to seek permission from
the local communities before implementing a project
·
In
a report entitled ‘Development without Conflict’ by the World Resources
Institute (May 2007), the authors make a business case “for sponsors of
large-scale, high-impact projects to treat the consent of the host community as
a requirement of project
development”.
o Early attention to
FPIC issues can help avoid significant costs during implementation
o Less time will be
wasted on litigation and more focus will be on giving development a local
meaning
o FPIC is widely seen as
critical to the fair treatment of all communities—in saving precious lives and
minimizing conflicts
Case
of Arunachal Pradesh— two activists lost their lives while protesting
against the construction of the proposed Nyamjang Chhu hydroelectric project
and the entire town of Tawang had to be shut down and the army carried out a
flag march to restore normalcy— All because the local people felt their voice
was not being heard.
EXPERT’S
Views:
·
A
simple perspective if employed can solve a lot of problems—the simple
perspective, here, being that of the mechanism of Democracy. A democratic
country needs to stay democratic, and in every sphere, if the country is to
progress, elements of democracy needs to be incorporated. Thus, if people want to
be heard, by imposing development on them by the power of the gun we are only
creating conflict.
·
The
participatory approach helps us to reduce development cost, increase perceived
and actual benefits and increase awareness among the people and help in the
mobilization of local resources, facilitates smooth and easy project
implementation. It further enables people to have access and control over the
resources and ensures that the benefits reach to the legitimate claimants. It
also creates sustainability aspect and gradually empowers the socially and
economically disadvantaged people
·
Ease
of doing business can turn in to a reality only when ‘elements of development’
can be established democratically and therefore, corporate houses and the
government should embrace this decision of the NGT and include the consent of
the gram sabha as a ‘norm’; important to establish ‘Make in India’s’ relevance
for everyone.
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