Proposed Legal Framework

            The draft policy document proposes a legal framework to override existing laws, which safeguard tribal rights such as the Forest Rights Act, the Panchayat Extension to Schedule Areas Act and constitutional protections such as those enshrined in the Fifth and Sixth Schedules of the Constitution. 
        It states in 4.8  "Appropriate laws, rules and regulations as per requirement will be put in place and existing ones suitably amended for effective implementation of this policy." To oversee all this it proposes a sort of super body which assumes all powers to itself over the forests and communities living in forests.." A National Board of Forestry will be set up
headed by the Central Minister in charge of Forests and State Ministers in Charge of Forests to ensure intersectoral convergence, simplification of procedure, conflict resolution and periodic review."
          This is a self serving proposal from a Ministry which is doing everything possible to hasten the privatization of forests and to eliminate the rights of tribal communities.
Conclusion
           The Draft National Forest Policy should be withdrawn. A Committee comprising of organisations and individuals working to preserve the environment, forests and the rights of tribal communities and traditional forest dwellers
should be set up to redraft the Policy within the framework of the Forest Rights Act and other laws which protect and recognize the role of tribal communities in preserving India's rich bio-diversity and her natural forests.