New Delhi: National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) chairperson justice (retd) Arun Kumar Mishra on Thursday said no tribal should be evicted without the settlement of his or her claim related to land rights.
He was speaking during a webinar with human rights defenders and civil society bodies, officials said.
No tribal should be evicted without the settlement of his or her claim related to land rights, he was quoted as saying in a statement issued by the NHRC.
He said there is already a Supreme Court judgment in this regard.
Justice Mishra further assured that the commission will look into what best it can do with regards to the policy on the adjudication of the claims of tribal people on their lands and distribution thereof.
He said the commission is committed to the review of various laws from human rights perspectives.
Mishra said the NHRC intends to continue its dialogue with the human rights defenders and the civil society organisations to collaborate on the efforts for the promotion and protection of human rights more so at a time when the country faces a challenge in the form of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Some of the important suggestions made during the meeting included examining of developmental projects from the point of view of livelihood of displaced people as well as its social and environmental impact; rehabilitation of displaced people due to development projects should be fully drawn out before the implementation of the project which should not merely include financial support.
Rights of crematorium workers, ragpickers and nomadic people into various vocations should be ensured; wages to women workers at par with men in informal sector should be ensured, were the other suggestions, the statement said.
Definition of trans rights to keep a check on the torture and human rights violations of them; inclusion of mental health in every aspect of rights and the treatment gap to be reduced, were also suggested.
The suggestions also include ensuring free medical check-up and treatment of informal workers affected by work health hazards including silicosis, a lung disease caused by inhaling silica dust; and discouraging the tendency to treat urban poor as encroachers just as Adivasis in forest to uphold their dignity and rights, it said.
