The Congress on Tuesday pledged six plans for Adivasi welfare, accusing the Narendra Modi government of weakening the legal framework that protects their rights to facilitate encroachment on their “Jal, Jungle and Zameen” by corporate houses.

As the Bharat Jodo Yatra Nyay Yatra entered Maharashtra in the afternoon, Rahul Gandhi addressed a massive rally in the tribal district of Nandurbar, telling people how the BJP-led government that allegedly wrote off Rs 16 lakh crore to help billionaires cared little for Adivasi rights.

Dubbing Modi anti-poor and pro-rich, Rahul announced six commitments to the Adivasi communities that the Congress will include in its 2024 Lok Sabha poll manifesto.

Arguing he was aware of issues like inadequate land compensation and rejection of claims, Rahul said: “A national mission will be set up for the effective implementation of the Forest Rights Act (FRA) through a dedicated unit, separate budget and action plans. We will ensure the settlement of all pending FRA claims within one year, and establish a process for the review of all rejected claims within six months. The Congress will withdraw all amendments made by the Modi government to the Forest Conservation and Land Acquisition Acts that have caused such great distress to Adivasis.”

As part of Adivasi Nyay, the Congress promised it would notify all habitations or groups of habitations where STs are more than 50 per cent of the population (the largest social group) as Scheduled Areas in all states and Union Territories. This will enable the local population to have a decisive say in development projects and land acquisition. The Congress also promised to enact state laws in conformity with the central Panchayat Extension to Scheduled Areas Act to establish a “village government” and an “autonomous district government”.

On the lines of the promised MSP legislation, the party pledged to bring a law to cover minor forest produce (MFP). The Special Component Plan for Scheduled Castes and the Tribal Sub Plan, introduced by Indira Gandhi in the late 1970s to ensure a balanced share of budgetary resources for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, was abolished in 2014 by the Modi government. The Congress on Tuesday said they would be revived.