Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 20: MP Rajya Sabha, Er Gulam Ali Khatana directed the Forest Department to implement the Forest Rights Act 2006 in right earnest and launch a rigourous information, education and communication campaign to educate the tribal community in Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory about the benefits and advantages of the Act.
In a joint meeting of the Forests, Tribal Affairs and Rural Development Departments, chaired by MP Gulam Ali and presided over by Financial Commissioner/Addl Chief Secretary Forests Department Dheeraj Gupta.
MP Khatana asked to decide the cases under FRA (1) and FRA (2) at the earliest. He said that implementation of FRA 2006 is a game changer for the poor and exploited tribals of Jammu and Kashmir. He said that tribals were robbed of their rights by the previous Governments for 70 years and PM Narendra Modi has provided them political and economic rights after abrogation of Art 370.
The meeting was attended by Administrative Secretary Tribal Affairs Shiv Anant Tayal, PCCF Roshan Jaggi, Divisional Commissioner, Jammu Ramesh Kumar Jangid, Deputy Commissioner, Jammu Sachin Kumar Vaishya, and others.
MP Khatana said Prime Minister Narendra Modi under Forest Rights Act provided constitutional guarantees to the forest dwellers, use of forest produce, basic amenities without infringing upon the biodiversity of the forests. He said, “Tribals have been living in these forest areas for hundreds of years and have protected and preserved the ecological balance.”
“It is the rapid urbanization with population explosion which has become a threat to the nature and the environment but tribals have been living at ease with the nature and forests are protected by them not destroyed,” said Khatana, adding that the Forest department too was trying to do its duty but they should take tribals into confidence before launching any drive.
Financial Commissioner Forests, Dheeraj Gupta directed Divisional Commissioner Jammu to speed up the process for finalization of individual claims and community claims under FRA 2006 and hold awareness camps for making people aware about the benefits of FRA 2006.
They appreciated the efforts of the MP to bring all the stakeholders on one table and discuss the issues threadbare.
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