Chhattisgarh Leading in the Implementation of Forest Rights Act in the Country

• 27 Dec 2022

Why In News?

According to information received from the Chhattisgarh Public Relations Department on December 26, 2022, Chhattisgarh state is the leading state in the implementation of the Forest Rights Act in the country.

Key Points

• According to the information, 54 thousand 518 individual forest rights letters were distributed in the state in the last four years, the total area of which is 30 thousand 46 hectares. Similarly, 23 thousand 982 forest rights letters of community forest rights have been distributed, whose total area is 11 lakh 77 thousand 212 hectares.
• Chhattisgarh is the first state in the country to be recognized as forest rights in urban areas in the country. So far, 266 individual forest rights cards, 7 community forest rights and 4 community forest resources rights have been distributed in urban areas of the state.
• Initiatives have also been taken by the state government in the implementation of community forest resource rights. So far, 3,845 community forest resources rights have been recognized in the districts. Under this, the right to protect and manage 16 lakh 60 thousand 301 hectares of land has been given to the Gram Sabhas.
• Continuous efforts are being made by the State Government to recognize the various forest rights of the local forest dwelling communities, so that they can get various types of forest rights mentioned in the Forest Rights Act, 2006.
• According to the Act, December 13, 2005 is the cut-off date for claiming possession of forest land by scheduled caste and other traditional forest dweller applicants. In case of other traditional forest dweller applicants, the cut-off date is already required to be residing in the village, forest land belonging to three generations (75 years).
• With the initiative of the state government, community forest resource rights are being recognized to the respective Gram Sabhas for the local forest resident communities. Various forest rights certificates are being distributed in urban areas of the state.
• On the instructions of Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, action is being taken to reconsider the claims of forest rights rejected for various reasons in the state. Action is being taken from time to time to correct the record of land distributed under the Forest Rights Act.
• Work is being done to develop forest rights beneficiaries as post claim support as well as benefit them through various livelihood measures such as cocoons, Taser crops, lac production etc.
• In Chhattisgarh, the process of providing habitat rights to especially vulnerable tribes has been started in Dhamtari district. The validation of community forest resources rights began from Jabra village in Dhamtari district. Gram Sabha Jabra was recognized as having community forest resources rights over 5352 hectares of forest land, which is the highest area recognized by a single village in the country. Similarly, community forest resources rights have been recognized on 1861 hectares of forest land in Khair Kheda village of Kanker district.
• Various activities are being done under Community Forest Resources, better implementation of management under Forest Rights Act. Along with the management of the forest, the work of native goat rearing, poultry, rabbit rearing, pig rearing, pisciculture etc. is being done by making bamboo sheds and scaffolding. Along with this, the kharif crops are being sown by intercropping after treating the organic seeds, turmeric seeds and a seed bank has also been established. After this, special emphasis is being laid on conservation and management of forest resources.
• Special efforts are being made to give forest rights to the beneficiaries of forest rights for the use of fish and other products of reservoirs, pastures for livelihood. Due to the convergence of government schemes, individual forest rights holders are being provided post-claim assistance such as land leveling, bund-bonding, manure-seeds, irrigation equipment-related assistance. Along with this, they are also being benefited from Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Rural) and Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana.