Govt committed to empowering forest dwellers through Forest Rights Act

Central Chronicle News

Raipur

Tribal Development Department Principal Secretary, Sonmani Borah, emphasized the state’s responsibility to transform the lives of forest dwellers through the Forest Rights Act (FRA). Addressing a training session for master trainers, Borah stressed the importance of effective implementation to promote social, economic upliftment, and forest protection.

The three-day training program, held at the Tribal Research and Training Institute in Nava Raipur, focused on community forest resource management and rights recognition. Participants included officials, NGOs, and representatives from various divisions.

Borah highlighted the FRA as a gateway to various government schemes, including education, healthcare, employment, and food security. He emphasized the need to utilize technology to ensure 100% beneficiary coverage and stressed that projects should be implemented with the sole purpose of benefiting the target groups.

Chhattisgarh has made significant progress in implementing the FRA, recognizing over 4.79 lakh individual forest rights, 49,000 community forest resource rights, and 4,300 community forest management committees. The state has also granted habitat rights to vulnerable tribal groups.

Aim to ensure FRA implementation

The training session aimed to enhance awareness and capacity building among officials and stakeholders to ensure seamless implementation of the FRA. Borah encouraged participants to work towards empowering forest dwellers, leveraging community strength, and promoting sustainable forest management.