THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Ranchi. The Hemant Soren government on Monday launched a scheme to give new rights to the tribals and other non-tribal sections living in the forests.
Under the scheme, named Abua Bir Dishom Abhiyan, launched at the Project Bhawan auditorium, individual and community forest resource forest rights lease will be provided to the tribals and all other people dependent on forests.
Notably, more than 30,000 gram sabhas of the state participated and took an oath on the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, to make dedicated and organized efforts to protect water, forest, and land, and its resources.
They will get forest patta, first phase will run till December
Using the powers granted under the Forest Rights Act, 2006, Forest Rights Committee was formed/reconstituted at the village, sub-division and district level from October 3 to 18. This committee is responsible for granting forest rights pattas to the people and communities dependent on forests. The committee will make recommendations on claims as per rules. Besides, for the successful implementation of Abua Bir Dishom campaign, a mobile application, and website have also been prepared, through which forest rights pattas will be given to tribals and people dependent on forests. The government will run this campaign in the first phase till December to give a lease to the people identified by the Forest Rights Committee.
The then Raghubar Das government had set a target of giving forest pattas to three and a half lakh tribal families and other forest dwellers by August 2016, but it could not be achieved.
Some facts related to forest and forest leases
According to the CFRLA report, there are 18 lakh 63 thousand 737 hectares (4605394.423 acres) of forest land in the state, on which a claim is made under the Forest Rights Act. But even after 23 years of formation of the state, not even one lakh people have been able to get forest patta. In Jharkhand, 80 percent of the 86 lakh tribal population is directly or indirectly dependent on forests. There are about 10 lakh such tribal families, who are beneficiaries of forest lease under the Forest Rights Act.
Jharkhand has been lagging in granting forest leases: Notably, about 18 years ago in 2006, the then UPA government brought the Forest Rights Act in the state. But in all these years, Jharkhand has proved to be a laggard in giving pattas to the forest dwellers. However, since 2019, only 1271 people have got forest pattas. Still, 1,01,812 applications for grant of forest lease are pending. More than 58 thousand applications are pending in Gumla district alone.
The aim is to provide benefits to as many people as possible
Under the Abua Bir Dishome campaign, training will be given to Deputy Commissioners and Forest Divisional Officers of all the districts of Jharkhand state. Besides, Forest Rights Committee members from villages to district level will be given training for the success of the campaign. More and more people should get the benefit of this campaign. For this, publicity will also be given impetus through various mediums.
On this occasion, Welfare Minister Champai Soren, Chief Secretary Sukhdev Singh, Principal Secretary to CM Vandana Dadel, Departmental Secretary Rajeev Arun Ekka, Secretary to CM Vinay Choubey, Tribal Welfare Commissioner Ajay Nath Jha, all DCs and officers of the state were present.
