Conservationists, including the dissenting member of the Task Force, Valmik Thapar, have raised the pertinent question whether the deprivation among communities dwelling in and around forests can be overcome merely by enabling legal exploitation of protected areas that are the last bastions of the tiger, given that it has not been achieved using the rest of the available land. A well thought out policy will readily recognise the fallacy of the anachronistic "co-existence theory" as it is bound to pit more people against tigers with well-known consequences for conservation; tiger biology shows that the big cats simply do not survive without inviolate spaces. The sole option before the Government of India is to devote itself to a time-bound and liberal relocation programme. Funds for the rehabilitation of the forest-dwelling communities cannot be a constraint, considering that the budget of just the Rural Development Ministry can achieve the objective painlessly; such a programme, supported also by cess proceeds from tourism, irrigation and other beneficiary sectors, will bring to the villagers, barring few exceptions, the benefits of mobility, education and healthcare access, all of which, the Task Force laments, are unavailable now. National policy needs urgently to identify inviolate spaces as recommended by the Task Force and relocate people honourably in partnership with State Governments.