What problem did the British face after they brought changes in forest laws? How did they solve this problem?

Dear student,
The British brought about several changes in the forest laws that affected the lives of many tribals. They extended their control over forests and declared them state property. Also, they declared the timber producing forests as reserved forests and restricted jhum cultivation and free movement of people in them. The problems British faced due to changes in forest law-
1. The British faced shortage of the labour force because most of the jhum cultivators moved to other areas for work.
2. Naturally, many tribal groups revolted against the unfair colonial forest laws.
Colonial officers solved this problem by deciding to give jhum cultivators small patches of land in the forests to cultivate on the condition that they provide labour to the Forest Department. This ensured cheap labour for the British.
Regards

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The British were uncomfortable with groups who moved from one part of the region to the other and did not have fixed homes.

For administrative and economic reasons, the British government wanted  the jhum or shifting cultivators to settle down and become peasant cultivators. However, settled plough cultivation did not prove to be helpful to these jhum cultivators in areas where water was scarce and soil was dry.They often suffered because their fields did not produce good yields.

The new forest laws also affected the lives of the shifting cultivators. Shifting or jhum cultivation is usually done on small patches of forest land. Under the forest laws, the British extended their control over all forests and declared forests as the state property. Thus, in these forests, people were not allowed to move freely, and  the jhum cultivators were prevented from practising jhum cultivation freely. Many were forced to move to other areas in search of work and livelihood
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The life of tribal groups was dependent on the forest. The British extended their control over all forests and declared them as state property. Reserved forests were for producing timber which the British wanted. The British did not allow the forest people to move freely or practice jhum cultivation in these areas. Thus, many tribal groups reacted against the colonial forest laws and rose in an open rebellion.
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