Latest news with #KedarKashyap
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Amid pushback, Chhattisgarh withdraws community forest rights
Amid protests from forest dwellers and activists, the Chhattisgarh forest department Thursday has withdrawn its directive barring all other departments, NGOs and private organisations from carrying out any work concerning Community Forest Resource Rights (CFRR) until the Centre passes a plan. The advisory was withdrawn on the directions of state Forest Minister Kedar Kashyap, the forest department said in a press statement. The department has written to the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change of India (MoEF&CC), to issue model CFR management plans, detailed guidelines and a training module for the master trainers and all stakeholders. The press statement said: 'The forest department had only issued an advisory to its field officers in light of the absence of model Community Forest Resource (CFR) management plans and corresponding guidelines.' It was necessary because of inconsistency in field-level implementation of CFRR due to the lack of clarity on how to integrate CFR management plans with the National Working Plan Code, 2023, the statement said. There was also confusion regarding coordination between Gram Sabhas, NGOs, and forest officials. The statement said the absence of this advisory would have resulted in ad hoc management plans being implemented without the working plan prescriptions. 'This would have jeopardized the ecological integrity of forests… and created inter-departmental and community-level disputes.' IFS officer V Sreenivasa Rao, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests & Head of Forest Force (PCCF & HoFF), Chhattisgarh, said, 'The department has played a commendable role in the distribution Individual and CFR rights. Till now a total of 4,78,641 of Individual Rights and 4,349 of CFRR (20,06,224 hectares) have been given under the Forest Rights Act (FRA). As a result… Chhattisgarh has emerged as one of the leading states in the country in terms of CFRR recognition.'
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
After widespread protests, forest dept blinks, withdraws advisory on CFRR
Raipur: Succumbing to widespread protests and reports over an advisory issued about a month back over Forest Rights Act (FRA 2006) that limited the constitutional powers of Gram sabhas. Chhattisgarh Forest Department on Thursday clarified that the letter was only intended as a temporary procedural advisory due to the absence of a model management plan for Community Forest Resource Rights (CFRR) areas. "Our intention was never to curtail community rights," Principal Chief Conservation of Forest (PCCF) & Head of Forest Force (HoFF) Srinivas Rao told TOI. "The advisory aimed to ensure ecological safeguards and scientific consistency in forest management." The May 15 letter has now been formally corrected through a corrigendum issued on June 23, and both documents — the original and its clarification — have been withdrawn on the directions of Forest Minister Kedar Kashyap. HoFF Srinivas Rao in a detailed letter issued on Thursday, cited growing confusion at the field level regarding integration of community-prepared plans with the National Working Plan Code (2023), approved by the Environment Ministry. The statement adds that the department's letter was misinterpreted as a move to centralize control over CFR lands, and that opposition from NGOs and community groups likely stemmed from this misunderstanding. The clarification comes a day after TOI reported on massive protests across the state on July 1 and 2 by thousands of people, against forest department's order and Gram Sabhas, tribal organizations, and social activists, took place in multiple places including tribal districts. HoFF Rao reiterated that the department had formally withdrawn its letter dated May 15, 2025, which had mistakenly referred to the department as the "nodal agency" for implementing CFRR. He clarified that this was a typographical error, and that it serves only as a facilitator, not the decision-maker, in the CFRR process. The original advisory, now officially withdrawn through office letter no. 536 dated July 3, 2025, had sparked outrage among tribal groups and activists who viewed it as an attempt to undermine the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006, and override the authority of Gram Sabhas, the rightful custodians of forest resources under the law. Corrected Course and Future Steps The Forest Department has written to the Ministries of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) and Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) requesting for a model community forest resource management plan aligned with national forestry codes, then detailed implementation guidelines for tribal welfare and forest officials and a standardized training module for local stakeholders including Gram Sabha representatives. The state currently leads the country with 4,349 CFRR titles, covering over 20,062 sq km, and over 4.78 lakh individual titles under FRA. These efforts, the department noted, were achieved through a "facilitative and inclusive" approach. While the department's latest clarification may help ease tensions, activists and community leaders say it's now time for transparent collaboration, not just damage control. "This retraction is a step in the right direction," said an activist who has been working with CFRR-recognized villages. "But the state must remember: CFR rights are not to be facilitated on paper — they are lived realities in our forests."
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Chhattisgarh forest department withdraws CFRR advisory after widespread protest over FRA
RAIPUR: In response to widespread protests and reports over an advisory issued about a month back over Forest Rights Act (FRA 2006) that limited the constitutional powers of Gram sabhas. Chhattisgarh Forest Department on Thursday clarified that the letter was only intended as a temporary procedural advisory due to the absence of a model management plan for Community Forest Resource Rights (CFRR) areas. 'Our intention was never to curtail community rights,' Principal Chief Conservation of Forest (PCCF) & Head of Forest Force (HoFF) Srinivas Rao told TOI. 'The advisory aimed to ensure ecological safeguards and scientific consistency in forest management.' The May 15 letter has now been formally corrected through a corrigendum issued on June 23, and both documents — the original and its clarification — have been withdrawn on the directions of Forest Minister Kedar Kashyap. HoFF Srinivas Rao in a detailed letter issued on Thursday, cited growing confusion at the field level regarding integration of community-prepared plans with the National Working Plan Code (2023), approved by the Environment Ministry. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch CFD với công nghệ và tốc độ tốt hơn IC Markets Đăng ký Undo The statement adds that the department's letter was misinterpreted as a move to centralize control over CFR lands, and that opposition from NGOs and community groups likely stemmed from this misunderstanding. The clarification comes a day after TOI reported on massive protests across the state on July 1 and 2 by thousands of people, against an forest department's order and Gram Sabhas, tribal organizations, and social activists, took place in multiple places including tribal districts. HoFF Rao reiterated that the department had formally withdrawn its letter dated May 15, 2025, which had mistakenly referred to the department as the "nodal agency" for implementing CFRR. He clarified that this was a typographical error, and that it serves only as a facilitator, not the decision-maker, in the CFRR process. The original advisory, now officially withdrawn through office letter no. 536 dated July 3, 2025, had sparked outrage among tribal groups and activists who viewed it as an attempt to undermine the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006, and override the authority of Gram Sabhas, the rightful custodians of forest resources under the law. Corrected Course and Future Steps Going forward the Forest Department has written to the Ministries of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) and Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) requesting for a model community forest resource management plan aligned with national forestry codes, then detailed implementation guidelines for tribal welfare and forest officials and a standardized training module for local stakeholders including Gram Sabha representatives. The state currently leads the country with 4,349 CFRR titles, covering over 20,062 sq km, and over 4.78 lakh individual titles under FRA. These efforts, the department noted, were achieved through a 'facilitative and inclusive' approach. While the department's latest clarification may help ease tensions, activists and community leaders say it's now time for transparent collaboration, not just damage control. 'This retraction is a step in the right direction,' said an activist who has been working with CFRR-recognized villages. 'But the state must remember: CFR rights are not to be facilitated on paper — they are lived realities in our forests.'
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Chhattisgarh forest dept withdraws community forest rights order after backlash
Raipur: The Chhattisgarh forest department has withdrawn its directive barring other government departments, NGOs, and private entities from undertaking any work related to Community Forest Resource Rights (CFRR), following growing protests across tribal regions of the state. According to the May 15 order, the forest department would oversee the land granted to forest dwellers under FRA provisions, until the central government provided model management plans (Representative photo) 'Forest minister Kedar Kashyap had ordered the advisory's withdrawal. The directive, issued on May 15, had stirred intense opposition from tribal communities and civil society groups, who claimed it undermined their legal rights under the Forest Rights Act (FRA),' an official statement issued by the department on Thursday said. The Forest Rights Act empowers gram sabhas with the authority to conserve and manage community forest resources and to block any activity that could harm wildlife, biodiversity, or the forest ecosystem. According to the May 15 order, the forest department would oversee the land granted to forest dwellers under FRA provisions, until the central government provided model management plans. Principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF) and head of forest force V Sreenivasa Rao, who had signed the directive, cited a 2020 central communication to justify naming the forest department as the nodal agency for CFRR implementation. Protests erupted in Chhattisgarh districts including Nagri, Ambikapur, Kanker, Gaurela, Narayanpur, Gariaband, Pithora, Balod, and Bastar. Demonstrators submitted memorandums, calling the order unconstitutional and contrary to the FRA's spirit. The department has clarified that the May order was an interim measure to ensure only approved CFRR management plans were implemented until formal models were released. It said that referring to the forest department as the 'nodal agency' was a typographical error, which had been corrected through a corrigendum on June 23. However, due to the confusion and unrest that followed, both the original letter and the corrigendum have now been formally withdrawn. The forest department's statement also states that the 'state has distributed 4,78,641 individual titles and 4,349 community forest resource rights titles, covering over 20 lakh hectares—benefiting millions of forest-dwellers.' The department further explained that, in the absence of central guidelines and a model CFRR plan, the May advisory aimed only to harmonise community management plans with the National Working Plan Code (NWPC) 2023. To address the gaps, it has now requested the ministry of tribal affairs and the ministry of environment, forest and climate change to urgently release detailed CFRR model plans, implementation guidelines, and training modules for all stakeholders.
