Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)
National and International Framework
Unlike refugees (who cross international borders), Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are people forced to flee their homes due to conflict, violence, disasters, or development projects, but who remain within their own country's borders. India has no dedicated national IDP law or policy, leaving IDPs — including conflict-displaced tribals — in a legal grey zone. International frameworks such as the UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement (1998) establish minimum standards, but they are non-binding. The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) has been the primary institutional mechanism pushing for survey and rehabilitation of Bastar IDPs.
- UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement (1998): 30 principles covering protection, assistance, and return/resettlement of IDPs; non-binding.
- India has no dedicated IDP legislation — displaced communities rely on general welfare schemes, FRA provisions, and NCST interventions.
- NCST issued orders in 2019 directing Chhattisgarh and neighbouring states to conduct surveys and cooperate on rehabilitation.
- Tribal activists estimate 48,300 individuals (9,651 families) displaced across 283 unrecognised habitations in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh — the official 31,098 figure represents Chhattisgarh's count from its survey.
● Tracked since February 19, 2026 · last seen March 19, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes