Forest dept not nodal agency for community forest resource management: Govt

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs has clarified that Community Forest Resource Management Plans (CFRMPs) must be prepared by Gram Sabhas through their Community Forest Resource Management Committees (CFRMCs), in accordance with the Forest Rights Act and its rules, and not by the forest department or any other agency.

In a letter dated August 14 to the chief secretary of Chhattisgarh, the ministry responded to recent communications from the state's forest department and tribal development department seeking guidance on CFR management.

The ministry said that the guidelines issued on September 12, 2023, along with Rules 4(1)(e) and 4(1)(f) of the Forest Rights Rules, clearly state that the CFRMC, constituted by the Gram Sabha, is responsible for preparing the CFRMP on its behalf.

The ministry's response comes amid controversy over a circular issued by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF), Chhattisgarh, dated May 15, which stated that the forest department would manage community forest lands until a model plan is received from Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA).

The circular also instructed that no department, NGO or private organisation should undertake any work within CFRR-allotted forest areas until such a plan is provided.

However, MoTA has now clarified that while it is working on a long-term vision document for CFR management, it recognises the diversity of landscapes and local contexts across India.

Therefore, a "single standardised draft plan may not be practical".

Instead, the ministry has recommended that Gram Sabhas use the indicative framework provided in the operational guidelines of the Dharti Aba-Janajatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan (DA-JGUA), a flagship scheme of the central government, to develop their own CFRMPs. These plans can be modified and adapted based on local conditions.

The letter, signed by Joint Secretary Anant Prakash Pandey, also emphasised that the role of the forest department is that of a "facilitator in this process". It recommended that State Level Monitoring Committee meetings, chaired by the chief secretary, be held regularly to resolve field-level matters.

In a separate letter dated July 8, the tribal development department of Chhattisgarh had written to MoTA seeking clarification on the PCCF's circular.

The department pointed out that the forest department's designation as the nodal agency for CFR matters, as mentioned in the May 15 circular, had already been revised by a general administration department order dated June 1, 2020. That order clarified that the forest department's role is limited to coordination support, while the tribal and scheduled caste development department remains the nodal agency for implementing the Forest Rights Act in the state.

The July 8 letter also noted that Chhattisgarh has been a frontrunner in implementing the FRA, with efforts underway to develop CFRMPs under the DA-JGUA initiative.

It acknowledged that all management plans should be prepared scientifically in accordance with the National Working Plan Code, 2023, and implemented as approved by the Union Environment Ministry. However, it stressed that further decisions should follow the model plan being developed by MoTA and that the forest department had already written to MoTA on March 6 requesting the plan.

MoTA's August 14 letter further clarified that once a CFRMP is approved by the Gram Sabha, it becomes the responsibility of the District Level Committee or District Level Monitoring Committee to facilitate its integration with the forest department's working plans, micro plans or management plans. Community-prepared plans and initiatives, it said, can serve as major inputs for broader conservation and management regimes.

The Forest Rights Act, 2006, empowers forest-dwelling communities to claim individual and community rights over forest land they have traditionally protected and used. The Community Forest Resource Rights (CFRR) provision allows Gram Sabhas to manage and conserve forest resources and prevent activities that harm biodiversity and wildlife.

Activists have raised concerns that the Chhattisgarh forest department's recent circular undermines the FRA's core objective of democratising forest governance.

Alok Shukla, a Chhattisgarh-based forest and tribal rights activist, had earlier told PTI that the forest department's attempt to assert control over CFR lands "goes against the basic structure of the Act" and reflects an unwillingness to hand over management rights to communities.