29 Dec FOREST RIGHTS ACT (FRA) GS-3 CONSERVATION

FOREST RIGHTS ACT (FRA)- Today Current Affairs

The need to have FRA is to deal with the rights of the forest dwelling communities that have been denied to them over the years because of the continuation of forest laws from the colonial area in the country. The forest right act is also known as the scheduled tribe and other traditional forest dwellers act or Tribal right act or tribal land act. The passage of forest right act 2006 accorded legal recognition to the rights of traditional forest dwelling communities and partially addressed the injustice caused by Colonial forest laws.

Significance of FRA 2006: The Hindu Analysis

1. Community rights and right over common property resources have been recognised for the first time.

2. It ensures the livelihood and food security of the forest dwellers, scheduled tribes and other forest dwellers and strengthens the conservation reserve of the forest.

3. Empower local self governance as gram sabha is the authority to initiate a process to vest rights on tribal communities. 

4. This act protects intellectual property rights and traditional knowledge related to culture diversity and biodiversity.

5. It extends the mandate of the fifth and sixth schedule of the constitution that protect the claims of indigenous communities over tracts of land aur forest they inhabit.

6. The displaced communities rights are secured by the FRA 2006.

7. The rights of marginal and tribal communities over development activities are also recognised and secure bi FRA 2006.

8. Forest rights can also be claimed by any member aur community who has for at least 3 generations prior to the 13 December 2005 primarily resided in forest land for bona fide livelihood needs.

9. The act ensures that people get to manage their forest on their own which will regulate the exploitation of forest resources by official improved forest governance and better management of tribal rights.

Challenges: The Hindu Analysis

• The forest right act 2006 is debated to lead to even more encroachment of already travelled forest land.

• The act defeats the purpose when the eviction rate of families from these lands increases as their claims on these lands are not accepted by the government.

• The tribes and communities like the capability to prove their occupancy over the forest land and the law turns out to be weak to strengthen their claim.

• Government role of allowing commercial plantation integrated land is also debated as the degraded land makes up 40% of forest.

• The Act  provided equal rights and titles for women but on ground they are hardly visible in this regard.

• Lands possessed by the tribal people, including the lands recognised under the FRA are small, of poor quality and are not very fertile.

   Way forward: The Hindu Analysis

1. To effectively represent claims a fair understanding of the act by the tribal people and its implementation process is necessary.

2. Livelihood of the tribal people would improve if horticulture practices are promoted in addition to bamboo and aloe vera plantation within an assured market.

3. A popular recommendation is medical and ecotourism along the lives of the Kerala model.

4. Providing skill based education with acid jobs on a large scale in proportion to the demand in the tribal areas.

5. The schemes and programmes drafted for the tribal people must be implemented in letter and spirit across the country.

6. With protective laws like PESA 1996 in place it is only a matter of will.

7. Inducted people who are sensitive to the cause of tribal people in the decision making process at every stage.

8. Right to fair compensation and transparency in in hand acquisition rehabilitation and resettlement act 2013, safeguard against displacement of scheduled Tribes. 

Here we mention all information about FOREST RIGHTS ACT (FRA) Today Current Affairs.

plutus ias daily current affairs 29 December 2021

Anshum Verma

Plutus IAS Current Affairs Team Member