CM Hemant Soren launches Abua Bir Dishom campaign, forest dependent villagers to get benefits

Ranchi: The Hemant government of the state on Monday launched a scheme to give new rights to the tribal and non-tribal communities living in the forests. The state government on Monday launched another ambitious scheme Abua Bir Dishom Abhiyan at Project Bhawan Sabhakar.

On the instructions of CM Hemant Soren, for the first time, under a comprehensive campaign, individual and community forest resource forest rights pattas will be provided to tribals and all other people dependent on forests. On the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, more than 30 thousand Gram Sabhas of the state participated and took oath to make dedicated and organized efforts to protect the resources of water, forest and land.

Using the powers granted under the Forest Rights Act, 2006, Forest Rights Committee was formed/reconstituted at the village, sub-division and district level from 3rd to 18th October. This committee is responsible for granting forest rights pattas to the people and communities dependent on forests. We will make recommendations on claims as per rules. Besides, mobile applications and websites have also been prepared for the successful implementation of the Abua Bir Dishome campaign.

Through which forest rights pattas will be given to tribals and people dependent on forests. The government will run this campaign in the first phase till December to give lease to the people identified by the Forest Rights Committee.

If we talk about the previous government, the then Raghuvar government had set a target of giving forest pattas to three and a half lakh tribal families and other forest dwellers by August 2016.  But it could not be completed.

According to the CFRLA report, there are 18 lakh 63 thousand 737 hectares (4605394.423 acres) of forest land in the state, on which a claim is made under the Forest Rights Act. But even after 23 years of formation of the state, not even one lakh people have been able to get forest patta. 

In Jharkhand, 80 percent of the 86 lakh tribal population is directly or indirectly dependent on forests. There are about 10 lakh such tribal families, who are beneficiaries of forest lease under the Forest Rights Act. 18 years ago in 2006, the then UPA government had brought the Forest Rights Act in the state. But over the years, Jharkhand has proved to be a laggard in the matter of granting forest lease.

Hemant Soren government, since 2019 till now only 1271 people have got forest patta. Still 1, 01,812 applications for grant of forest lease are pending. More than 58 thousand applications are pending in Gumla district alone.

Under the Abua Bir Dishome campaign, training will be given to Deputy Commissioners and Forest Divisional Officers of all the districts of Jharkhand state. Besides, Forest Rights Committee members from villages to district level will be given training for the success of the campaign. More and more people should get the benefit of this campaign. For this, publicity will also be given impetus through various mediums.

On this occasion, Welfare Minister Champai Soren, Chief Secretary Sukhdev Singh, Principal Secretary CM Vandana Dadel, Departmental Secretary Rajiv Arun Ekka, Secretary to CM Vinay Choubey, Tribal Welfare Commissioner Ajay Nath Jha, all DCs and officers of the state were present.

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