Latest news with #ForestRightsRules
The Print
a day ago
- Politics
- The Print
Centre says forest dept not nodal agency for community forest resource management
The ministry said that the guidelines issued on September 12, 2023, along with Rules 4(1)(e) and 4(1)(f) of the Forest Rights Rules, clearly state that the CFRMC, constituted by the Gram Sabha, is responsible for preparing the CFRMP on its behalf. In a letter dated August 14 to the chief secretary of Chhattisgarh, the ministry responded to recent communications from the state's forest department and tribal development department seeking guidance on CFR management. New Delhi, Aug 17 (PTI) The Ministry of Tribal Affairs has clarified that Community Forest Resource Management Plans (CFRMPs) must be prepared by Gram Sabhas through their Community Forest Resource Management Committees (CFRMCs), in accordance with the Forest Rights Act and its rules, and not by the forest department or any other agency. The ministry's response comes amid controversy over a circular issued by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF), Chhattisgarh, dated May 15, which stated that the forest department would manage community forest lands until a model plan is received from Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA). The circular also instructed that no department, NGO or private organisation should undertake any work within CFRR-allotted forest areas until such a plan is provided. However, MoTA has now clarified that while it is working on a long-term vision document for CFR management, it recognises the diversity of landscapes and local contexts across India. Therefore, a 'single standardized draft plan may not be practical'. Instead, the ministry has recommended that Gram Sabhas use the indicative framework provided in the operational guidelines of the Dharti Aba-Janajatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan (DA-JGUA), a flagship scheme of the central government, to develop their own CFRMPs. These plans can be modified and adapted based on local conditions. The letter, signed by Joint Secretary Anant Prakash Pandey, also emphasised that the role of the forest department is that of a 'facilitator in this process'. It recommended that State Level Monitoring Committee meetings, chaired by the chief secretary, be held regularly to resolve field-level matters. In a separate letter dated July 8, the tribal development department of Chhattisgarh had written to MoTA seeking clarification on the PCCF's circular. The department pointed out that the forest department's designation as the nodal agency for CFR matters, as mentioned in the May 15 circular, had already been revised by a general administration department order dated June 1, 2020. That order clarified that the forest department's role is limited to coordination support, while the tribal and scheduled caste development department remains the nodal agency for implementing the Forest Rights Act in the state. The July 8 letter also noted that Chhattisgarh has been a frontrunner in implementing the FRA, with efforts underway to develop CFRMPs under the DA-JGUA initiative. It acknowledged that all management plans should be prepared scientifically in accordance with the National Working Plan Code, 2023, and implemented as approved by the Union Environment Ministry. However, it stressed that further decisions should follow the model plan being developed by MoTA and that the forest department had already written to MoTA on March 6 requesting the plan. MoTA's August 14 letter further clarified that once a CFRMP is approved by the Gram Sabha, it becomes the responsibility of the District Level Committee or District Level Monitoring Committee to facilitate its integration with the forest department's working plans, micro plans or management plans. Community-prepared plans and initiatives, it said, can serve as major inputs for broader conservation and management regimes. The Forest Rights Act, 2006, empowers forest-dwelling communities to claim individual and community rights over forest land they have traditionally protected and used. The Community Forest Resource Rights (CFRR) provision allows Gram Sabhas to manage and conserve forest resources and prevent activities that harm biodiversity and wildlife. Activists have raised concerns that the Chhattisgarh forest department's recent circular undermines the FRA's core objective of democratizing forest governance. Alok Shukla, a Chhattisgarh-based forest and tribal rights activist, had earlier told PTI that the forest department's attempt to assert control over CFR lands 'goes against the basic structure of the Act' and reflects an unwillingness to hand over management rights to communities. PTI GVS NB This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
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Business Standard
a day ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
Forest dept not nodal agency for community forest resource management: Govt
The Ministry of Tribal Affairs has clarified that Community Forest Resource Management Plans (CFRMPs) must be prepared by Gram Sabhas through their Community Forest Resource Management Committees (CFRMCs), in accordance with the Forest Rights Act and its rules, and not by the forest department or any other agency. In a letter dated August 14 to the chief secretary of Chhattisgarh, the ministry responded to recent communications from the state's forest department and tribal development department seeking guidance on CFR management. The ministry said that the guidelines issued on September 12, 2023, along with Rules 4(1)(e) and 4(1)(f) of the Forest Rights Rules, clearly state that the CFRMC, constituted by the Gram Sabha, is responsible for preparing the CFRMP on its behalf. The ministry's response comes amid controversy over a circular issued by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF), Chhattisgarh, dated May 15, which stated that the forest department would manage community forest lands until a model plan is received from Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA). The circular also instructed that no department, NGO or private organisation should undertake any work within CFRR-allotted forest areas until such a plan is provided. However, MoTA has now clarified that while it is working on a long-term vision document for CFR management, it recognises the diversity of landscapes and local contexts across India. Therefore, a "single standardised draft plan may not be practical". Instead, the ministry has recommended that Gram Sabhas use the indicative framework provided in the operational guidelines of the Dharti Aba-Janajatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan (DA-JGUA), a flagship scheme of the central government, to develop their own CFRMPs. These plans can be modified and adapted based on local conditions. The letter, signed by Joint Secretary Anant Prakash Pandey, also emphasised that the role of the forest department is that of a "facilitator in this process". It recommended that State Level Monitoring Committee meetings, chaired by the chief secretary, be held regularly to resolve field-level matters. In a separate letter dated July 8, the tribal development department of Chhattisgarh had written to MoTA seeking clarification on the PCCF's circular. The department pointed out that the forest department's designation as the nodal agency for CFR matters, as mentioned in the May 15 circular, had already been revised by a general administration department order dated June 1, 2020. That order clarified that the forest department's role is limited to coordination support, while the tribal and scheduled caste development department remains the nodal agency for implementing the Forest Rights Act in the state. The July 8 letter also noted that Chhattisgarh has been a frontrunner in implementing the FRA, with efforts underway to develop CFRMPs under the DA-JGUA initiative. It acknowledged that all management plans should be prepared scientifically in accordance with the National Working Plan Code, 2023, and implemented as approved by the Union Environment Ministry. However, it stressed that further decisions should follow the model plan being developed by MoTA and that the forest department had already written to MoTA on March 6 requesting the plan. MoTA's August 14 letter further clarified that once a CFRMP is approved by the Gram Sabha, it becomes the responsibility of the District Level Committee or District Level Monitoring Committee to facilitate its integration with the forest department's working plans, micro plans or management plans. Community-prepared plans and initiatives, it said, can serve as major inputs for broader conservation and management regimes. The Forest Rights Act, 2006, empowers forest-dwelling communities to claim individual and community rights over forest land they have traditionally protected and used. The Community Forest Resource Rights (CFRR) provision allows Gram Sabhas to manage and conserve forest resources and prevent activities that harm biodiversity and wildlife. Activists have raised concerns that the Chhattisgarh forest department's recent circular undermines the FRA's core objective of democratising forest governance. Alok Shukla, a Chhattisgarh-based forest and tribal rights activist, had earlier told PTI that the forest department's attempt to assert control over CFR lands "goes against the basic structure of the Act" and reflects an unwillingness to hand over management rights to communities. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Time of India
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
BJP govt evicting tribals from their land, denying their rights: Cong
Bhopal: In a joint press conference, LOP Umang Singhar, former Union Minister Arun Yadav, and Congress Working Committee member Kamleshwar Patel stated that tribals in the state are being denied their rights to water, forests, and land by the BJP govt. The Congress functionaries said that, in gross injustice, tribals are being evicted from their land and suppressed with false allegations. The Congress cautioned that if the rights of tribals are not enforced within 15 days, the party will start a mass movement against the BJP govt. Calling the policies of the govt anti-tribal, the three senior leaders said that the BJP has deviated from the issues of development and is now engaging only in the politics of religion. LOP Umang Singhar alleged that the govt is depriving tribals of their traditional rights. "The land leases of thousands of tribal families were cancelled without any prior notice. It is clear from this action of the govt that it wants to snatch the rights of the tribals to water, forest, and land," LOP Singhar said. He also mentioned that in Madhya Pradesh, only five leases were given in Jhabua district so far, which shows that the govt's intention is not to give the tribals their rights but to drive them out of their homes and forests. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Thị trường có dấu hiệu suy thoái không? IC Markets Đăng ký Undo The LOP said that tribals talk about water, forest, and land, but the community is being divided into religions. "Tribals worship nature. Our identity is not with religion but with land and forest. The BJP RSS is going from village to village and dividing us because when BJP talks, it talks only about religion," Singhar alleged. "If the govt does not accept the tribals' demands for lease within 15 days, then a fierce movement will be launched. " Umang Singhar claimed that it was 17 years since the Forest Rights Act (2006) came into force, but the BJP govt has not yet given lakhs of tribal families their legal right to ownership of forest land. "More than eight lakh forest rights claims are still pending across the country. This shows that the govt failed miserably in the proper implementation of the Forest Rights Act 2006," Singhar said. He further argued that the Madhya Pradesh govt rejected more than 3 lakh claims out of 6.5 lakh forest rights claims made by tribals till 2024 without citing any clear reason. Quoting the Forest Rights Rules 2007, the LOP said that Rule 12A (6) states that it is mandatory for the govt to give reasons in writing for rejecting a claim. The Forest Rights Rules, 2007; Rule 12A says, "In the event of rejection or modification of a claim, the reasons for the same must be told in writing in the local language to the person concerned." The LOP alleged that due to the abundance of mineral wealth in the forests of Nepanagar, the govt wants to forcibly displace the tribals there, so that the way can be cleared for private companies. "The govt is falsely accusing the tribals of cutting the trees, while the truth is that they are protecting the forests and planting trees there. There are some other elements that are harming the forests, which the govt is ignoring," Singhar argued. Former Union Minister Arun Yadav said that the govt is removing tribals from the Nepanagar forests even though these tribals were engaged in forest protection. He accused that this is a trick of the govt because it wants to serve corporate interests by evicting the tribals from the forests. Giving the Mohan Yadav govt 15 days, the Congress leaders made it clear that if within this period the tribal society members do not get their rights back, then the Congress party will start a mass movement, and the fight for the rights of the tribals will be fought from the streets to the state assembly.
