PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE / DEHRADUN
The Van Raji community, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) in Uttarakhand, reached the provisional State capital to seek the fulfilment of their long-pending demands related to land rights, livelihood security, education, healthcare and basic infrastructure.
Addressing the media here on Tuesday, members of the community from Pithoragarh district said that nearly two decades after the enactment of the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006, they are yet to receive full land ownership rights. They alleged that although forest rights have been granted on paper, the land has not been transferred from forest to revenue records, leaving families without legal security. The community also raised concerns over Community Forest Rights (CFR), alleging that these are often controlled by dominant groups, effectively excluding the Van Rajis from decision-making and access to forest resources.
Another major issue highlighted was the cancellation of Panchayat elections in Kutachura and Madanpura villages of Didihat block. They stated that the elections were annulled because women candidates of the reserved category were unable to contest due to the two-child norm and educational qualification criteria. The community demanded relaxation of these conditions, citing low literacy levels and their limited population.
With the support of social organisation ARPAN, the delegation met officials of the Forest Research Institute (FRI), Uttarakhand State Commission for Women and the Uttarakhand State Human Rights Commission. They are scheduled to place their demands before the administration and civil society organisations on December 17.
Renu Thakur of ARPAN said that the issues faced by the Van Raji community reflect a larger governance failure. She stressed that urgent and sensitive intervention is required for a community standing on the brink of extinction. The Van Raji community lives in nine villages in Pithoragarh district, one in Champawat and one in Udham Singh Nagar district.
