New Delhi, Dec 19 (IANS) Minister for Tribal Affairs Jual Oram, on Friday, led policymakers and legal experts in firming up strategies for community forest governance and faster and more accurate recording of forest rights in government land records, an official said.

Speaking at a National Consultative Workshop on the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, the Minister reiterated the Union government's commitment to strengthening the Act's implementation through evidence-based policy reforms, institutional strengthening, and continued engagement with states, experts, and communities.

Minister Oram also stressed stronger inter-departmental coordination, capacity building of Gram Sabhas, and the need for enhanced convergence of the Forest Rights Act (FRA) with development and conservation frameworks.

The workshop was organised by the Tribal Affairs Ministry in collaboration with the National Tribal Research Institute (NTRI) in the backdrop of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's consistent emphasis on restoring the rights, dignity, and livelihoods of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers, and his vision of empowering tribal communities through rightful ownership of forest resources as envisaged under the Act.

In the inaugural session, the Union Minister highlighted that the Forest Rights Act, 2006, is a landmark legislation aimed at redressing the historical injustices faced by the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers.

Emphasising the importance of Community Forest Rights, Union Minister Oram called upon all stakeholders to share their experiences and propose actionable recommendations emerging from the deliberations.

He urged states to prioritise the empowerment of Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers through focused interventions, particularly in the protection, value addition, and marketing of Non-Timber Forest Produce such as Sal leaves and Mahua, noting that securing FRA rights is fundamental to ensuring sustainable livelihoods.

Union Tribal Affairs Secretary Ranjana Chopra underlined the role of the FRA as a catalyst for tribal welfare and livelihood enhancement.

She emphasised the geotagging of all Recognised Forest Rights, including Individual Forest rights, Community Rights and Community Forest Resource rights, to strengthen transparency and monitoring.

She also urged all stakeholders to propose solutions to the key challenges of the FRA regime, with a particular focus on livelihood promotion, digitisation of records, and securing habitat rights for Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups.

During the discussions, emphasis was laid on FRA's role in strengthening tenure security, democratic forest governance, livelihood security, and biodiversity conservation, aligning with India's vision of 'Viksit Bharat'.

--IANS

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