200 organisations urge Tribal Welfare Dept to address violations faced by tribals in Nagarahole
Bengaluru: A coalition of over 200 social and environmental organisations, along with legal experts, academics, and activists, has raised alarm over the alleged violation of tribal rights in Nagarahole.
The group has called on the Tribal Welfare Department to intervene and address what they describe as “forced eviction” of 150 Jenu Kuruba adivasi, violating the Forest Rights Act, as reported by The Hindu on Wednesday.
The memorandum, submitted to Randeep D., Principal Secretary of the Tribal Welfare Department, and Yogesh, Director of the department, by the representatives of the group highlighted the plight of the Jenu Kuruba tribe in Karadikallu, Nagarahole Tiger Reserve.
The members of the solidarity group includes organisations such as India Labour Solidarity (U.K.-based), Food Sovereignty Alliance, Students for Peoples Democracy, and Fridays For Future India, as well as activists like Meera Sanghamitra and Disha A. Ravi.
The issue came to light on May 5, when tribal families re-entered the Nagarahole Tiger Reserve to “reclaim their ancestral land”. In response, over 120 paramilitary troops of the Forest Department and police forces, were reportedly deployed to intimidate the Jenu Kuruba community. The authorities allegedly issued threats of forced eviction.
“In addition to this, the Assistant Conservator of Forest (ACF), Nagarahole Wildlife division, issued a letter on May 8, citing a supposed May 6 High Court order, later found to have been fabricated, suspending the FRA-related activities, thus asking the Jenu Kuruba families to vacate their ancestral homeland in Nagarahole Tiger Reserve,” said a statement from the collective.
The letter by the collective termed it “a blatant attempt to withhold implementation of the FRA, 2006, amounting to perjury (lying under oath) under criminal law for the tiger reserve authorities, as well as section 3 (g) of SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act,” added the report.
The letter has been signed by a diverse group of supporters, including academics from institutions such as IIT Madras, Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath, National Law School of India University, and Azim Premji University, lending further weight to the call for urgent intervention.
Meanwhile, Randeep has reportedly assured that the grievances will be looked into, and he expressed openness to sending a delegation to Nagarahole to assess the situation directly.
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Karnataka approves AI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru's Electronics City
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka government has approved the establishment of a CoE for AI in Biotechnology at IBAB in Electronics City (Phase 1), here.
The decision, taken by the state Cabinet on Thursday night, marks a significant step towards strengthening Karnataka’s leadership in emerging technologies, IT and biotechnology, Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge said on Friday.
The centre will be established over four years with a total outlay of Rs 20 crore, in partnership with the Institute of Bioinformatics and Applied Biotechnology and the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP), according to a statement from the minister’s office.
"Karnataka has consistently been at the forefront of technological innovation. As we enter the decade of deep tech, our focus is on building future-ready capabilities at the intersection of artificial intelligence and biotechnology," Minister for IT and Biotechnology said.
"This Centre of Excellence will strengthen our research ecosystem, accelerate innovation and enable Karnataka to lead in high-impact next-generation technologies," he added.
Priyank added that the state government, through the Departments of Electronics, IT, Biotechnology, and Science & Technology, is actively investing in emerging technologies and taking steps to strengthen Karnataka’s AI and deep-tech ecosystem.
The minister said the Cabinet has also approved the transfer of a 51 per cent stake in the Karnataka Technology & Innovation Museum Foundation (KTIMF) to the Unboxing BLR Foundation.
KTIMF was established by the Government of Karnataka as a not-for-profit organisation to promote innovation, technological awareness, startup culture and public engagement in science and technology, aligned with the state’s vision of building a robust innovation ecosystem, he said.
The Technology & Innovation Museum will be developed at the NGEF campus in Baiyappanahalli, Bengaluru, under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, with a total project cost of Rs 100 crore. Of this, Rs 49 crore will be contributed by the state government and Rs 51 crore by the private partner, he said.
