In defense of land rights: A monitoring report on land conflicts in six Asian countries 76 of land from public funds, strategic purposes and for further development of land for a corporation owned and controlled by the State, carrying out certain schemes of government like education, health, housing, slum clearance, and any other scheme of development sponsored by government or for locating any public office. However, acquiring land for private companies would not come under the purview of “public purpose” in section 2(1) of the Act. Since independence, land has been acquired from people, particularly from farmers, for the purpose of expanding towns/cities by converting agricultural land into non-agricultural land. In the name of industrialization, large portions of land are being acquired from people for “public purpose” and “development” and later handed over to private companies (Jeyaraj, 2008). Under the enormous power available to the government by virtue of eminent domain, many blatant abuses have been committed. For example, the West Bengal Government acquired fertile agricultural lands in West Medinapur for the Tata Metaliks Company in 1992, dispossessing small and marginal farmers, even when equally-suitable waste land was easily available. State governments have not hesitated to take over the land even by employing draconian emergency powers available under the Act (Ahmed, 2000). The main philosophy behind the Act is eminent domain – the sovereign power of the State over land and natural resources. The very broad, inclusive definition of public purpose has caused great confusion and facilitated all sorts of abuse. RIGHTS OF THE TRIBALS AND FOREST DWELLERS ANGOC According to 2011 census data, adivasis or tribals constitute 8.6 percent of the total Indian population. Though they are a minority in India, their number is by far larger than in many other countries. This population has needs different from that of other citizens of the country. As their life revolves around forests and its products, any unwanted interference with forests means that they are also getting substantially affected. It was during the colonial era that the Indian Forest Act of 1927 was enacted. Under the Act, the government could consolidate and reserve all the forest cover in the country to regulate the transit of forest produce and to levy duties of timber. This legislation was used by the government keep the tribals from accessing the forest and to thereby indiscriminately exploit the resources of the forest. Even after independence, the same legislation persisted. Since tribals were considered as encroachers, forests and other common lands were easy targets for land for conversion. As a result, it is estimated