Mining push meets tribal resistance

What Happened

Intense conflict has erupted in the Sijimali hills, straddling Rayagada and Kalahandi districts in southern Odisha, over proposed bauxite mining by Vedanta Ltd.
On April 7, 2026, police fired tear gas shells at tribal villagers who have been opposing attempts to lay a road to access the bauxite block — injuring approximately 70 people.
Vedanta Ltd. was declared the preferred bidder for the Sijimali bauxite block in 2023 and received a mining lease for approximately 1,548 hectares, including around 700 hectares of forest land.
The Sijimali deposit is estimated at 311 million tonnes of high-grade bauxite; Vedanta proposes to extract 9 million tonnes annually.
Tribal communities have opposed the project since 2023, citing displacement risks, allegations of forged Gram Sabha consent, destruction of a hill they regard as sacred, and violations of the Forest Rights Act (FRA), PESA Act, and Fifth Schedule protections.
National-level protests have followed the police action, with left parties calling for statewide demonstrations and courts ordering scrutiny of forest clearance processes.

Static Topic Bridges

Fifth Schedule of the Indian Constitution and Tribal Governance

The Fifth Schedule of the Indian Constitution (Articles 244 and 244A) provides a special governance framework for "Scheduled Areas" — regions with predominantly tribal populations characterised by their distinct culture, land systems, and vulnerability to exploitation.

Fifth Schedule Areas are currently designated in ten states: Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Jharkhand.
The Governor of each state with Scheduled Areas has special powers, including the power to modify or nullify any central or state law in a Scheduled Area through "Scheduled Area Regulations."
A Tribes Advisory Council (TAC) — comprising tribal representatives — must advise the Governor on matters relating to the welfare and advancement of Scheduled Tribes.
The Bhuria Committee Report (1994) preceded the PESA Act and highlighted the absence of self-governance in these areas; it recommended the extension of Panchayati Raj with tribal-specific provisions.

Connection to this news: Sijimali falls within Fifth Schedule territory in Odisha — meaning that standard administrative procedures for land acquisition, forest diversion, and mining consent must comply with the enhanced protections mandated by the Constitution and the PESA Act.

The Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA) was enacted to extend decentralised governance to Fifth Schedule areas, giving Gram Sabhas (village assemblies) mandatory powers over natural resources, land, and local development.

PESA was enacted on 24 December 1996 following the recommendations of the Bhuria Committee to restore tribal self-governance over land, water, forests, and minerals in Scheduled Areas.
The Act mandates that no land acquisition in Scheduled Areas can proceed without the prior informed consent of the Gram Sabha (village assembly). This is a legally binding consultation requirement, not a mere formality.
Gram Sabhas under PESA have powers over: minor forest produce, minor minerals, minor water bodies, management of village markets, prevention of alienation of tribal land, and control over social institutions.
A critical implementation failure documented repeatedly is the conduct of "forged" or manufactured Gram Sabha meetings — instances where consent certificates are produced without genuine community deliberation — an allegation at the centre of the Sijimali dispute.
PESA applies in Odisha, and the state has its own PESA Rules framed under it; their enforcement remains weak.

Connection to this news: The allegation of forged Gram Sabha consent at Sijimali directly challenges the fundamental legal requirement under PESA — if the consent was not genuine, the entire forest clearance and mining lease process rests on a legally and constitutionally defective foundation.

Forest Rights Act, 2006 and Community Forest Rights

The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 (FRA) is a landmark legislation that recognised and vested the long-standing rights of tribal and forest-dwelling communities over forest lands and resources that had been denied by historical forest policies.

FRA recognises two categories of rights: Individual Forest Rights (IFR) — homestead and cultivation rights on forest land — and Community Forest Rights (CFR), including the right to protect, regenerate, and manage community forest resources.
Under Section 5 of the FRA, forest-dwelling communities have the right to protect forest areas from encroachment, including from industrial or mining activities.
The Supreme Court in Orissa Mining Corporation v. Ministry of Environment (2013) — the Niyamgiri case — held that the Gram Sabha must be consulted and its consent obtained before diversion of forest land for mining in tribal areas. This judgment is directly applicable to situations like Sijimali.
Forest clearance for any project in forest land requires: "in-principle" approval from Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) → FRA compliance certificate from state government (certifying tribal rights settlement) → final approval.

Connection to this news: The Sijimali conflict echoes the Niyamgiri case pattern — a mining company seeking access to tribal-inhabited forest hills, allegations of bypassed consent processes, and the courts intervening to scrutinise forest clearance. The FRA compliance certificate (certifying that forest rights have been settled) is the key legal document being contested.

Key Facts & Data

Location: Sijimali hills, Rayagada and Kalahandi districts, Odisha (Fifth Schedule area)
Vedanta Ltd. awarded mining lease: ~1,548 hectares (including ~700 ha forest land) in 2023
Bauxite reserves: estimated 311 million tonnes; proposed extraction: 9 million tonnes/year
April 7, 2026: police fired tear gas at protesters; ~70 people injured
PESA Act enacted: 24 December 1996 (applicable in 10 states including Odisha)
FRA 2006: Community Forest Rights under Section 5 include right to protect forest from encroachment
Niyamgiri precedent (SC 2013): Gram Sabha consent mandatory before forest diversion for mining
Odisha's Fifth Schedule districts: Koraput, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur, Rayagada, Kalahandi (and others)
India's total bauxite reserves: approximately 3.4 billion tonnes (5th largest globally)