Chief Minister Confers Rights of Community Forest Resources in Tiger Reserves | 10 Aug 2022

On August 9, 2022, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, taking a big initiative on the occasion of World Tribal Day, issued Community Forest Resources Charter to 10 Gram Sabhas under the Recognition of Forest Rights Act, 2006 in core and buffer areas in two big tiger reserves of the state.

The 10 Gram Sabhas include 5 Gram Sabhas of Achanakmar Tiger Reserve and 5 Gram Sabhas of Sitanadi Udanti Tiger Reserve.
The 5 gram sabhas of Achanakmar Tiger Reserve, which have been empowered, are in the area of Mungeli district, out of which 4 villages are of core area and 1 is of buffer area. Of these, community forest resource rights were given to Mahamai on 1384.056 hectares, 1191.6 hectares to Babutola, 1663 hectares to Bamhani, 3240 hectares to Katami and 661.74 hectares to Manzoorha Gram Sabha.
In Sitanadi Udanti Tiger Reserve, for the first time in the state, community forest resource rights have been jointly recognized in three gram sabhas of Sitanadi Tiger Reserve in Dhamtari district - Likhma, Baniyadih and Mainpur in 1811.53 hectares. It is noteworthy that the traditional boundaries of all three villages are the same, but due to increase in population, they were divided into three villages.