The Ministry of Tribal Affairs held a regional conference in Kolkata with eight states to review the Forest Rights Act, 2006. The focus was on disposing of 11 lakh pending claims, reviewing rejected claims, and accelerating community rights.
The Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) convened the second Regional Review Conference on implementation of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 (FRA) at Kolkata, West Bengal, on Friday.
Key Participants and Best Practices
According to the Ministry, the Conference brought together senior functionaries of the Tribal Welfare, Revenue and Forest Departments and Tribal Research Institutes of eight States, namely West Bengal, Assam, Tripura, Jharkhand, Odisha, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Additionally, senior officials of Andhra Pradesh were invited to share the best practices the State has undertaken on digitisation, integration of FRA titles into government records and taking up proactive measures on convergence of livelihood schemes with FRA titleholders and providing credit facilities to the right holders. Further, District officials- Collectors, Sub-Collectors, and ITDP/ITDA Project Officers from districts having a large pendency of FRA claims- also attended to review the status of implementation and deliberate on a coordinated way forward. The Conference follows the First Regional Review Conference held in Bengaluru on September 10 for the Southern States.
Conference Addresses Highlight Key Priorities
Proceedings began with a Welcome Address by the Principal Secretary, Tribal Development Department, Government of West Bengal, who apprised the gathering of the objectives of the Conference and extended a formal welcome to the dignitaries and delegates, which was followed by the Keynote Address of the Joint Secretary, MoTA, and the Special Address of the Secretary, MoTA. In his Keynote Address, the Joint Secretary said that as of August 31, over 54 lakh claims had been received nationally, and about 25 lakh titles had been distributed. About 11 lakh claims still remain pending at different stages, while over 18 lakh claims have been rejected. He noted that Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Assam account for substantial pendency concentrated in particular districts. He highlighted that the Regional Conference focuses on the following key priorities such as timely disposal of pending claims and review of rejected claims in accordance with the Act and Rules, reconciliation of FRA data, digitisation of FRA case records, incorporation of recognised rights into revenue and forest records, acceleration of recognition of Community Forest Resource Rights and Habitat Rights recognition for PVTGs, the release said.
In her Special Address, the Secretary, MoTA, said that the FRA places the rights, dignity and aspirations of forest-dwelling communities at the heart of inclusive and sustainable development. She appreciated the experience of Andhra Pradesh in digitisation and creating records of rights of FRA title holders to avail post-claim support, and Odisha and Chhattisgarh in pioneering the recognition of PVTG habitat rights and recognition of the highest number of IFR claims. She stressed that recognition of Community Forest Resource Rights (CFRR) must be matched by the capacity to exercise them. Gram Sabhas need support to prepare and implement Community Forest Resource Management Plans, and States should operationalise the joint advisory of MoTA and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. This advisory enables integration of these plans with the working and management plans of Forest Departments, while keeping the authority of the Gram Sabha central. She added that assistance is available under DA-JGUA for capacity building of Gram Sabhas for preparation of such CFR management plans and their execution. She also called for PVTG-wise roadmaps for Habitat Rights, which need to be prepared with sensitivity and the active participation of traditional institutions and the Gram Sabhas of all concerned villages. She further emphasised that recognised rights must be incorporated into Revenue and Forest records with accurate maps, and that convergence with programmes for productive land use, housing and livelihoods must become a regular part of implementation.
National Scenario and State Directives
The Director, FRA, MoTA, presented the national scenario, including pendency in high-pendency States and priority districts. Her presentation also covered the importance of incorporating the Record of Forest Rights into revenue and forest records in line with the Ministry’s advisory of June 24 and Habitat Rights under the Ministry’s guidelines of January 5. She also outlined the financial support available from MoTA to take forward such interventions by the States. Further, States were also asked to reconcile data discrepancies and delays in Monthly Progress Reports. Also, States have been directed to prepare an action plan for strengthening Gram Sabhas to create awareness of FRA rights, post-claims support, and for preparation of the CFR management plan on priority.
Push for Digitisation and Data Integration
The Deputy Secretary, TRI & IT, MoTA, spoke on digitisation of FRA records and demonstrated the National-level FRA Portal and the FRA mobile app, which can be useful to advance digitisation, geospatial integration and decision-support systems for FRA governance. Also, urged the States to integrate their existing FRA records through an Application Programming Interface (API).
State-wise Implementation and Action Plans
Officers of the eight States presented the status of FRA implementation in their respective States, covering claim pendency, incorporation of records, Community Forest Resource Rights and Habitat rights of PVTGs and digitisation of FRA records. The States also presented the action plan for timely disposal of pending claims, review of rejected claims, recognition of CFRR and habitat rights in a time-bound manner and strengthening convergence so that eligible right-holders receive livelihood and development support.
The Conference concluded with a Valedictory Address by the Joint Secretary, MoTA, and a Vote of Thanks by the Director, FRA, MoTA. (ANI)
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