TAC rejects BJD govt's proposal to amend tribal land transfer rules

The newly constituted Tribal Advisory Council (TAC) rejected a proposal of the previous BJD government to amend the Odisha Scheduled Areas Transfer of Immovable Property Amendment Regulation for allowing tribals in scheduled areas to sell and mortgage their land to non-tribals.

In the first meeting of the TAC chaired by chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Tuesday, it was resolved to explore an alternative mode to facilitate loans for tribal people for essential purposes such as marriage, higher education and business initiatives, an official statement issued by the CMO said.

The previous BJD government's move to amend the regulation of Odisha Scheduled Areas Transfer of Immovable Property (By Scheduled Tribes) Amendment was strongly opposed by the people across the state, following which it was withdrawn by the government on January 29, 2024. However, the Naveen Patnaik government did not reject it.

The proposal was first introduced in the TAC meeting on July 11, 2023 and later approved by the state cabinet on November 14, 2023 when the BJD was in power.

The official statement said the TAC also approved a proposal to include the Mundari language in the eighth schedule of the Constitution.

Wednesday's meeting also discussed the draft of the Odisha PESA (Panchayats Extension to Scheduled Areas) rules. The ruling BJP, in its election manifesto, had promised to implement the PESA Act of 1996. It was decided that further discussions are needed before finalising the rules.

According to the CMO statement, a state-level workshop will be organised, involving tribal representatives from blocks, districts, and urban local bodies, as well as members of the legislative assembly, Lok Sabha, and Rajya Sabha, to gather feedback on the proposed rules.

The BJP government in the state had reconstituted the TAC in November with chief minister as its chairman and minister for ST&SC Development as vice-chairman. There are 18 members including 15 MLAs, two MPs and a prominent tribal woman activist.