Bharatiya Adivasi Party MLA Rajkumar Raut stirred controversy during the Question Hour in the Rajasthan Assembly by raising concerns about leases issued under the Forest Rights Act in Scheduled Areas. Minister Babulal Kharadi responded, asserting that they do not issue leases but instead provide authority letters. The exchange led to chaos as Congress MLAs expressed dissatisfaction, prompting an altercation between Dotasara and ruling party members. Speaker Vasudev Devnani intervened to restore order.
Minister Babulal Kharadi clarified that the KYC process is not a scheme but merely a document verification process. Due to the land being classified as forest land, agricultural connections cannot be provided. MLA Rajkumar Raut continued to press the issue, highlighting the cancellation of leases for 25 thousand people while only 5 thousand received them. Unsatisfied with the minister’s response, Raut was instructed by the Speaker to discuss the matter directly with the minister.
In a separate development, Ramgarh MLA Zuber Khan criticized the government’s handling of crimes against women, expressing concerns about rising crime rates. He suggested that if the government fails to address the issue promptly, they may find themselves in the opposition.
Additionally, Bayana MLA Dr Ritu Banawat raised concerns about farmers facing power cuts during cold nights, impacting their irrigation needs. She highlighted the challenges faced by farmers due to electricity shortages both during the day and night. The assembly also witnessed discussions on the open permission for gravel mining in the Excavated Raised Platform (ERCP).
Sadulpur MLA Manoj Kumar raised the issue, alleging that a particular firm had been granted permission for gravel mining under the pretext of desilting at nominal rates for 20 years. He accused the firm of engaging in a scam worth approximately Rs 3270 billion and questioned whether the government would cancel the lease in light of these revelations.
