Latest news with #CFR
New Indian Express
6 hours ago
- General
- New Indian Express
Chhattisgarh's Tiriya gram sabha recognised globally for community-led forest governance
RAIPUR: Tucked deep inside south Chhattisgarh's Bastar division, Tiriya village has been recognised among the top 15 mentions, out of the 190+ nominated communities, for the 2025 Collective Action Awards by the Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI). Tiriya's model stands as a resilient example on how tribal (Adivasi) communities can lead inclusive, sustainable development rooted in traditional knowledge and collective action in Bastar region. The RRI is a global coalition of grassroots organisations aimed at improving coordination and support for the recognition of land rights for indigenous people across Africa, Asia and Latin America. The global efforts intended to safeguard nature and preserve traditional knowledge for future generations are much appreciated. The achievement of Tiriya has been supported by the Bastar-based team of ATREE, which has facilitated key steps in the community forest rights (CFR) claim-making and community planning processes. The global recognition celebrates Tiriya's exemplary grassroots efforts in securing community forest rights, strengthening collective governance and pioneering a self-sustaining eco-tourism model.
Bangkok Post
6 days ago
- Business
- Bangkok Post
TOA Earns Sixth CFO Certification for Sustainability
TOA Paint (Thailand) Public Company Limited, or TOA, continues its journey towards becoming a Net Zero organisation. Most recently, the company received its 'Carbon Footprint for Organization (CFO)' certification for the sixth consecutive year. The certificate was presented to Ms Wipada Nakpairat, Vice President, SHE & Quality Management and Sustainability Division, from Dr. Wijarn Simachaya, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Thailand Greenhouse Gas Management Organization (TGO), with Dr. Natarika Wayuparb Nitiphon, Deputy Executive Director of TGO, also in attendance at the Thailand Institute of Justice (TIJ). This achievement reaffirms TOA's commitment to its 'Green Mission' policy, advancing its transformation into a truly sustainable green organisation. The company's efforts span the entire value chain, covering upstream and downstream processes, with a focus on all stakeholders and on reducing both direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions. These include improvements in production, energy usage, transportation, waste management, and the development of eco-friendly products. To date, TOA has received the Global Warming Reduction Label (CFR) for 133 products and Carbon Footprint of Product (CFP) certification for 320 products – making it the manufacturer of certified low-carbon products in Thailand's paint and building materials market. TOA is driving its Green Mission policy through seven key strategies aimed at achieving Net Zero organisational greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Two core strategies are already yielding significant results: Green Production – improving energy and fuel efficiency in vehicles and reducing refrigerant leakage. Green Energy – increasing the use of renewable energy, decreasing reliance on fossil fuels, and minimizing long-term environmental impacts. The consistent CFO recognition highlights TOA's responsible business practices and environmental leadership. It also enhances stakeholder confidence in the company's ability to protect homes, preserve the environment, and build a sustainable future.
The Hindu
15-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Contesting the future of forest governance
Recently, the Chhattisgarh forest department issued a letter designating itself as the nodal agency for implementing community forest resource rights (CFRR) under the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006. CFRR, a transformative provision of the FRA, recognises the right of gram sabhas to manage their customary forests. It seeks to rectify the injustices of colonial forest consolidation which dispossessed local communities and supplanted their traditional management institutions with centralised state control. Not only was this usurpation of the nodal role contrary to the FRA, but the letter violated gram sabhas' statutory authority to implement locally developed management plans in their community forest resource (CFR) areas by insisting on a model plan from the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA). This is not required by law. It also prohibited other departments or NGOs from supporting gram sabhas in CFRR management planning. The letter was withdrawn after a spirited grassroots mobilisation by gram sabhas, local elected representatives, and Adivasi rights groups. Still, the persistent attack on gram sabhas' autonomy in managing their forests demands a closer look at how forests should be managed under the FRA. Forest management Historically, forests under government control (excluding wildlife sanctuaries or national parks) have been managed through forest departments' working plans. These plans are rooted in the colonial misnomer of 'scientific forestry', i.e., planning and harvesting to maximise timber production. Ecologists, starting with Madhav Gadgil, questioned this approach, especially since early working plans even included clearfelling natural forests and replacing them with single-species plantations. The decline in India's forests, evidenced by the spread of invasive species and the increase in degraded forest areas, has fuelled doubts about the appropriateness of working plans. But for forest departments, they remain an article of faith to structure their operations and mobilise financial resources. In forest-rich central India, the continuing emphasis of working plans on timber extraction, which restricts communities' access and alters the composition of forests, was met with resistance even before Independence. While working plans have begun to consider restoration and wildlife conservation objectives, they remain products of bureaucratic writ, largely detached from local livelihoods and closed to independent scientific scrutiny. The FRA's radically different vision recognises the integral role of local communities in the 'very survival and sustainability' of forests. CFR management plans are to be developed by gram sabhas to prioritise local needs and address current problems. These plans shall be 'integrated' with working plans by the gram sabha. In other words, working plans will no longer apply in CFR areas, because communities will manage forests with a different objective and at much finer scales. Over 10,000 gram sabhas have received CFRR titles in India, but perhaps less than 1,000 have prepared their CFR management plans. Even their implementation is constrained by the refusal of forest departments to recognise their legitimacy and support gram sabhas. Instead, they have pursued a strategy of attrition, delaying or rejecting CFRR claims, attempting to revoke CFRR titles, and denying funds to CFRR-holding gram sabhas. Their aim to retain colonial power is concealed under arguments that communities lack the ability to manage forests scientifically. MoTA's vacillating responses have not helped. In 2015, it issued guidelines that gram sabhas can use simple formats for their plans, but later came under pressure to alter its stand. A 2024 joint letter with the Environment Ministry required CFR management plans to conform to the National Working Plan Code (NWPC) and even suggested the involvement of foresters in their preparation. This violates the FRA's letter and spirit. Addressing the bogeyman Even according to the NWPC, a working plan should outline 'the purpose with which a forest should be managed so as to best meet the interests and wishes of the owner, and indicate the means by which the purpose may be accomplished.' Yet, the lengthy processes and data-intensive formats that the NWPC prescribes carry the hangover of maximising timber yield. In contrast, forest management by gram sabhas will likely pursue multiple livelihood needs, for which the NWPC provides little guidance. Significant portions of working plans are devoted to cataloguing local conditions, but they abstract their complexities to focus on the forest crop (not ecosystem). A gram sabha's plan need not do the same because these insights are part of their lived experience. The variable impacts of climate change also challenge the linear trajectories of working plans, which need more adaptive responses that gram sabhas offer. CFRR demands shedding historical baggage and embracing new possibilities. The path forward is evident. The Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan, launched by the Central government last year, introduced an indicative framework for CFR management plans. While the framework can be improved, it can be achieved through flexible and iterative practice by gram sabhas. MoTA must reject any attempt to derail CFR management through the red herring of NWPC compliance. And forest departments must provide funds and protection when required and discard a timber-oriented science in favour of a different science of a people-friendly forest management. Gautam Aredath, policy analyst at the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment; Sharachchandra Lele, distinguished fellow at the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment. Views are personal
Fibre2Fashion
09-07-2025
- Business
- Fibre2Fashion
Understanding the latest US tariff updates from a T-shirt price POV
In a significant move reshaping global trade dynamic, US President Donald Trump has announced a new wave of potential tariffs targeting 14 countries—including key textile and apparel exporters like Bangladesh, Cambodia and Indonesia, in addition to Myanmar, Tunisia, Japan, South Korea, and seven other nations. These countries have been given until August 1, 2025 (extended from the earlier July 9 deadline) to finalise new trade deals with the US or face steep increases in import duties. We consider four top textile and apparel manufacturing countries—China, India, Bangladesh and Vietnam, and in today's context analyse the average import unit price of a T-shirt into the US, based on the latest tariff rates. The 2025 average import unit price is calculated based on the United States' reported import trade values and quantities. These figures reflect CFR (Cost and Freight) terms. Table 1: Understanding the latest US Tariff from a T-shirt price POV *Subject to change with the anticipation of a trade deal announcement. (The above values are indicative cost prices based on the import trade data analysis) Following President Trump's tariff announcement on April 2, various countries responded in different ways. Some, such as China, imposed retaliatory tariffs, while others like India and Vietnam initiated discussions to explore potential trade deals and agreements. A deadline of July 9, which was recently extended to August 1, was set for these negotiations. During this period, tariffs were temporarily suspended, and a universal 10 per cent tariff was applied across all countries. China: Following the reciprocal tariffs announced by the US on April 2, 2025, a period of intense escalation ensued, with US tariffs on Chinese goods rising from an initial 34 per cent to as high as 245 per cent. Subsequently, with trade negotiations, both countries reached a temporary agreement in Geneva last month. Under this accord, the US reduced its tariffs on Chinese imports to 55 per cent, while China lowered its retaliatory tariffs to 10 per cent, marking a significant de-escalation from the previously imposed triple-digit rates by both sides. India: After being included in the US tariff list in April 2025, India has actively pursued a trade agreement. Negotiations are reportedly in the final stages, and a deal could soon be announced. In case a deal is not materialised, Indian products will attract a duty of 26 per cent in the US from August 1. Bangladesh: On July 7, Bangladesh received a formal notice from the US about the impending tariff hike. The new rate of 35 per cent (slightly down from the earlier 37 per cent, announced on April 2) is currently one of the highest among major apparel exporters. Vietnam: Despite securing a trade deal, Vietnam will face a 20 per cent tariff on its exports to the US—a reduction from the previously proposed 46 per cent, but still double the current 10 per cent rate, which is applicable equally to most countries. Observations from Table 1 While India currently has a high tariff of 26 per cent, with the positive developments of a trade deal with the US, it is poised to offer the most competitive pricing and may become even more attractive with a lower price point if a trade deal with tariff of 10 per cent or lesser is finalised. Bangladesh, despite a slight tariff reduction, faces one of the steepest duties among major exporters. Vietnam, even with a trade deal, ends up with the highest T-shirt price due to its elevated base cost and 20 per cent tariff. China could face a substantial impact on final import prices to the US, given its position as the highest-tariffed among key apparel-supplying countries. Nevertheless, it remains relatively competitive with Vietnam, largely due to its low base price, which helps offset the elevated tariff burden. Fibre2Fashion News Desk (AP)
The Hindu
04-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Gram Sabhas hold authority to prepare CFR management plans, says Centre
The power to prepare Community Forest Resource (CFR) management plans rests with villages through their Gram Sabhas and not with any department of either the Union or State governments, officials of the Tribal Affairs Ministry in New Delhi said on Friday (July 4, 2025). The role of governments is limited to assisting Gram Sabhas in this process, they added. This clarification follows the withdrawal of an order by the Chhattisgarh Forest Department that had prohibited CFR management work across the State in areas where rights had been granted under the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006. The order, issued by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests in May, had sparked State-wide protests from forest-dwelling communities and civil society groups. The Forest Department had cited a 2024 joint communication from the Union Ministries of Tribal Affairs and Environment, under which the Tribal Affairs Ministry was to prepare 'model' CFR management plans for circulation to States. Based on this, the Department claimed that no CFR management activity could proceed until these model plans were delivered. However, Union government officials told The Hindu that 'the joint communication was not supposed to halt CFR management work till the model plans are prepared'. State officials further explained that community-led forest resource management and conservation cannot have 'one plan that fits all', adding that each village will have to tailor their plans according to the nature, amount and geography of the forests in their respective areas. In their protest letters to the Chief Minister, Gram Sabhas alleged that the Forest Department was attempting to wrest control of CFR management from them - an authority they hold under the FRA and the CFR guidelines issued by the Tribal Affairs Ministry. The earlier Forest Department order had also interrupted plans by the Tribal Development Department to empanel NGOs to support villages in drafting their CFR management plans. With Thursday's withdrawal of the order, officials in Chhattisgarh confirmed that the process can now resume. 'We had asked for guidance from the Tribal Affairs Ministry on this and a formal response is expected any day now. It has also been learnt that the Union Ministry will soon be sharing its model plans, which will just be a broad framework,' a State official said. Though the FRA was enacted in 2006 with the intent of involving forest-dependent communities in conservation and management, it was only in 2023 that the Tribal Affairs Ministry issued detailed guidelines that gave exclusive authority to Gram Sabhas for preparing and approving CFR plans. The Ministry clarified that any synchronisation required with forest department codes should occur after Gram Sabhas have finalised their plans. To facilitate this process, the Union government in 2023 launched the Dharti Aba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyaan, a separate programme that enabled State governments to empanel NGOs to assist Gram Sabhas in preparing CFR management plans.
