Bhopal, Aug 4 (PTI) Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Monday asserted forest rights claims of tribals are not being cancelled as alleged by the opposition Congress and assured adivasis will not be evicted from their homes during the monsoon.
He affirmed his government was committed to the welfare of tribals in Madhya Pradesh, where they account for more than 21 per cent of the state's population.
"No one in tribal areas will face hardship. Under schemes like 'Dharati Aba' and PM Janman Yojana, we have started several works, including construction of houses up to Rs 2 lakh, roads, schools and hospitals (in adivasi-dominated districts)," Yadav told reports in the state assembly premises.
He maintained the BJP government will be happy to receive suggestions and inputs from opposition MLAs on how to further develop tribal regions.
"To honour tribal traditions, festivals like Bhagoria will be given national recognition. DJs have been replaced with traditional musical instruments. No tribal will be evicted from their home during the rainy season," the CM insisted.
Yadav noted the BJP government has issued over 23,500 forest land titles so far, whereas the previous Congress regime did not grant even one title.
Earlier in the assembly, Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar of the Congress took on the government over what he called cancellation of tribal forest rights claims and alleged eviction of adivasis from their homes.
Raising the issue through a Call Attention Motion, Singhar said, "The government lacks clear intent. It wants to hand over the land of tribals, who have depended on forests for generations, to private entities."
The Congress MLA claimed around 3.22 lakh forest rights titles have been cancelled in the state so far, calling it a "blatant injustice" to the tribal community.
Singhar also questioned the functioning of the state forest department.
"In the last 10 years, the government claims to have planted 41 crore saplings -- more than the state's population. Where have all these trees gone?" he asked.
Despite tall claims under the previous Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led BJP government of planting lakhs of saplings along the Narmada river, not one has survived, the Leader of Opposition noted.
"Is this how public money is to be wasted?" he asked.
Madhya Pradesh has 47 scheduled tribe reserved assembly seats out of the total 230.
According to the last Schedule Tribe Population Census of 2011, the population of adivasis was more than 1.53 crore and accounted for 21.08 percent of the total 7.26 crore inhabitants of Madhya Pradesh 14 years ago.