The villagers - from India's indigenous, or Adivasi, communities - hail from the Hasdeo area in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh, one of the largest contiguous stretches of dense forest on the subcontinent, which is rich in biodiversity and wildlife, including elephant corridors that are critical for forestation. But the Hasdeo Arand forest is also rich in coal - and it's a resource India can't seem get enough of these days.
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Boosting coal production to 1 billion tonnes

Coal still accounts for nearly 70 percent of India's electricity generation. While the world's third-largest greenhouse gas emitter is committed to transitioning to renewable energy, India's quantum[BWAH!], self-reliant growth will be largely powered by the "dirtiest fossil fuel".

"Nationally, there are 55 new coal mines planned and there are expansion plans for 193 existing mines. Eighty percent of the new expansion is on Adivasi land and they are going to bear the brunt of it," said Jo Woodman, senior researcher at Survival International, a UK-based ["]tribal rights["] group.

Mining companies enter a once-protected zone