Mizoram Assembly adopts Forest Rights Act resolution.
The Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006 acknowledges the rights of forest-dwelling tribal communities and other traditional forest residents over forest resources. These rights cover various needs, including livelihood, habitation, and socio-cultural requirements.
The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights Act 2006) was passed on December 18, 2006. It was notified into force on December 31, 2007.
Objectives:
Address historical injustices faced by forest-dwelling communities.
Secure land tenure, livelihood, and food security for Scheduled Tribes and traditional forest dwellers.
Enhance forest conservation by involving Forest Rights holders in sustainable use, biodiversity conservation, and ecological balance maintenance.
Types of Rights Under the Act:
Land Rights:
Forest dwellers are entitled to own up to 4 hectares of land they have cultivated.
Ownership is limited to land currently in use, with no new land grants permitted.
The land can only be inherited, not sold or transferred.
Use Rights:
Rights include harvesting Minor Forest Produce (e.g., tendu patta, herbs, medicinal plants), using grazing areas, and accessing pastoralist routes.
Timber is excluded from Minor Forest Produce rights.
Right to Protect and Conserve:
Forest-dwelling communities have the authority to protect and manage their forests.
This right is crucial for communities defending their forests and wildlife from threats like forest mafias, industries, and land grabbers.
Eligibility to Claim Rights:
Members of Scheduled Tribes who live in and rely on forest land for genuine livelihood needs.
Any person or community who has lived in forest land for at least three generations (75 years) before December 13, 2005, can also claim these rights.
Procedure for Recognizing Rights:
Gram Sabha recommends rights based on land cultivation, collection of Minor Forest Produce, etc.
Recommendations from the Gram Sabha are reviewed by screening committees at the Taluka and District levels.
The final decision is made by the District Level Committee, consisting of three government officers and three elected representatives.
The Lok Sabha's Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act was approved by the Rajya Sabha on December 18, 2006. The Forest Rights Act, is a landmark piece of socio-environmental legislation in India that aims to resolve the long-running dispute over alleged "forest encroachments." It also aims to establish a bottom-up, far more democratic system of forest governance.
