Historic Land Rights Demand for Goa's Tribals
National Commission for Scheduled Tribes Chairperson Antar Singh Arya urged the Goa government to grant land ownership rights to tribal cultivators. Many tribals, who have farmed lands for decades, still lack ownership, impacting their access to welfare schemes. Meetings with Goa officials and stakeholders were held to address the issue.
- Country:
- India
The Chairperson of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, Antar Singh Arya, has made a fervent appeal to the Goa government, urging it to award land ownership rights to tribal inhabitants who have been farming the land for extended periods but remain reliant on landlords. Arya emphasized that despite their longstanding relationship with the land, these tribespersons are denied the rights they deserve.
During his visit, Arya held discussions with Governor P S Sreedharan Pillai and Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, as well as with a variety of stakeholders concerned with tribal rights, which included both government bodies and NGOs. He highlighted the significant hurdle that the lack of land ownership poses to these communities, noting the struggle tribal individuals face when seeking to build homes or access state and central welfare initiatives.
In his dialogue with the Goa Chief Secretary, Dr. V. Candavelou, Arya shared that tribal people have been farming some lands for over a hundred years. He promised that these details would be reflected in the forthcoming annual Action Taken Report to be submitted to President Droupadi Murmu, in a bid to push for change.
(With inputs from agencies.)
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