The impending ease of restrictions on bamboo will be a dream come true for crores of people belonging to forest dwelling communities, artisans and crasftsmen in the country for whom it is a traditional source of subsistence.

Union Environment and Forests Minister Jairam Ramesh communicated a set of guidelines to Chief Minister N.

In an effort to wean away tribals from the Maoists, the Environment Ministry is pushing for a minimum support price for minor forest produce like bamboo and tendu patta.

Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh is taking up the matter with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee.

A minimum support price (MSP) for minor forest produce (MFP) would help increase the earnings of the tribal population.

New Delhi: The environment and forests ministry took half a step towards ending the monopoly of the forest department over the Rs 10,000 crore annual bamboo trade in the country. Environment minister Jairam Ramesh wrote to chief ministers of all states to alter their rules and instruct the state forest officers to treat bamboo as a minor forest produce.

In a major victory for tribals of Lakhimpur Kheri living in 46 villages in and around the Dudhwa forest range, the state government has allowed them to collect forest produce required for their survival.

NEW DELHI: The Adivasi Adhikar Rashtriya Manch (AARM) has urged Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee to ensure that the allocation for the Tribal Sub Plan in this year's budget is increased to 8.4 per cent in keeping with the strength of the tribals in the country.

It stressed that the shortfall on this account was over Rs.

The National Advisory Council headed by Congress president Sonia Gandhi is unhappy with the poor implementation of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, which was once billed as a landmark initiative of the UPA I for economic empowerment of the tribal people.

The NAC now wants the government to change the law to make it more effective and has recomme