substantiate
#GroundUpStories | In 2009, Ratan Singh and 96 others in Madhya Pradesh’s Vidisha district were selected for allocation of land rights under the Forest Rights Act, 2006. Out of these 97, 29 were handed a letter during a ceremony that congratulated them on getting their forest rights.
The letter said that the right to the land would be protected and it could be utilised without any obstacles, and that the coming generations would be able to take advantage of it. But nowhere did the letter mention how much area of land was allotted to each individual claimant. Whenever a claim is accepted under the Forest Rights Act, they are given a map of the land with the photo of the claimant and other personal information. But Ratan and the other recipients did not receive any such documentation.
Read this article by Sanavver Shafi hafi to learn more about how Adivasis in the region lack title deeds that would help them substantiate their claim over the land they were allotted.
https://idronline.org/ground-up-stories/congratulations-but-no-rights-claiming-land-in-madhya-pradesh/