THE Union Ministries of Environment and Tribal Affairs have jointly decided to give more powers to the tribal communities in managing the forest resources. In an official statement, the Ministry of Environment said that a “Joint Communication” to this effect is scheduled to be signed at the Indira Paryawaran Bhawan here on Tuesday. It pertains to an effective implementation of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, which is commonly known as the Forest Rights Act (FRA). The Act recognises and vests the forest rights and occupation in forest land in forest-dwelling scheduled tribes (FDSTs) and other traditional forest dwellers (OTFDs) who have been residing in such forests for generations but whose rights could not be recorded and provides a framework for recording the forest rights so vested and the nature of evidence required for such recognition and vesting in respect of forest land.

 

The signing ceremony will be attended by Environment and Forest Secretary Rameshwar Prasad Gupta, Tribal Secretary Anil Kumar Jha and the Revenue Secretaries of all the States, sources in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change said. Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda and Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar will address the event, which will also be attended by Minister of State for Environment Babul Supriyo and Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Renuka Singh Saruta.