Thaindian News

Agartala, Nov 16 (IANS) Tripura has sought Rs.440 crore from the central government to undertake livelihood schemes for thousands of tribals who have got title deeds in the state under the forest rights act, Chief Minister Manik Sarkar said here Wednesday.

Sarkar, accompanied by state finance minister Badal Choudhury, Monday met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi and submitted the Rs.440 crore worth projects’ proposal.

“The prime minister has appreciated the state government’s efforts to provide ‘patta’ (title deeds) to thousands of tribals in Tripura and promised to consider the project,” Sarkar told reporters.

The Tripura government has so far distributed land deeds among 119,000 tribals under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (recognition of forest rights) Act, 2006.

Tribals account for about 33 percent of Tripura’s 3.8 million population.

“We have told the prime minister that the proposed projects to undertake various livelihood schemes and economic activities once implemented in Tripura would be a model project for other states too,” the chief minister stated.

According to a senior official, Tripura has secured top position across the country by achieving 98 percent successful disposal of ‘Land Rights’ applications.

“Over 36,000 applications, mostly belonging to non-tribals, could not be considered as they had not fulfilled the criteria of three generations laid down in the Act,” the official said.

The official said the Tripura government had taken up with the central government to suitably amend the forest rights act so that other traditional forest dwellers, including non-tribals, who have been residing inside the forests for less than three generations, could also be vested with forest rights.