• Chenchus are a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group whose hamlets or Pentas dot the Nallamala forest range spread across four to five districts in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh states.
• They are inveterate forest dwellers, who have, over centuries, steadfastly refused to move out of their woods regardless of the perils of such life.
• If patriotism be defined as love for the land, Chenchus are patriots in true spirit.
• The non-resident war cries on social media over imagined boundaries are no match for their raw affinity to forests where they live without basic facilities.

The Chenchus are Adivasi, a designated Scheduled Tribe in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Odisha.

Points to Know:

• The Devadari Kura (Cedrus deodara or native cedar) plant which is believed to ward off liver, urinary and respiratory infections and gastric ulcers is there source of food.
• Nallamala (tropical dry deciduous scrub with trees of axle wood, teak, Hardwicke) is also host to India’s largest tiger reserve, the 3,728-sq.-km Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve (NSTR).
• The FRA clearly defines ‘forest land’ under Section 2 (d) to mean forests of all categories including the protected areas such as Wildlife Sanctuaries, National Parks and Tiger Reserves.
• Section 4 (1) provides for recognition and vesting of all kinds of forest rights of STs and OTFDs as mentioned in section 3 notwithstanding anything contained in any other laws for the time being in force.
• Further, Section 4 (2) requires recognition and vesting of rights in critical wildlife habitats and similarly Section 38 V of the Wild Life Protection (Amendment) Act of 2006 mandates recognition and vesting of rights of STs and OTFDs in the critical tiger habitats.
• In the absence of guidelines for notification of critical wildlife habitats, no rights shall be conferred in Critical Tiger Habitats (CTH) which is notified under section 38 V (4) (i), of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.

Source: TH & Wiki