Up to 2.5 billion people depend on indigenous and community lands, which make up over 50 percent of the land on the planet; they legally own just one-fifth. The remaining five billion hectares remain unprotected and vulnerable to land grabs from more powerful entities like governments and corporations.

These rules may be called the Odisha Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Rules, 2016. They shall extend to the whole of the State of Odisha.

Forest Rights Act 2006 recognizes and vests forest rights to the scheduled tribes and other traditional forest dwellers who have been residing in forests in generations but whose rights could not be recorded.

Question raised in Lok Sabha on Mining Policy in Tribal Areas, 30/11/2015. The Constitution of India provides safeguards to the Scheduled Tribes.

Historically, usage and access of forest resources by India’s Adivasi community and other forest dwellers have been considered as encroachment and their efforts of forest land acquisition have been used as evidence of their anti-development attitude.