Forest Rights Act 2006: Providing Land to the Landless in Orissa
Reaching out to the tribals in the remote areas of Orissa, Pradan is participating in the process of implementation of FRA 2006, which seeks to legitimize the use of forest land for habitation, cultivation and livelihood purposes by tribals, who have been present in the area for generations.
Introduction
A cross the world, people who reside in the fringe areas of forests are mostly poor, illiterate and backward although they stay amidst rich natural resources. This contrast can only be explained by the fact that forest dwelling communities do not have access to the rich natural resources around them, and thus are not able to benefit from them. Upon losing ownership over these forest resources to the forest department, the traditional systems that were evolved for the judicious use and conservation of forests disintegrated. This is primarily because without the participation of local communities, the department is unable to manage forest resources properly whereas the forest dwellers continue to depend on such resources. However, with the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act 2006 coming into force, the Government of India has provided these most deserving communities with usufruct forest rights and the opportunity to protect forest resources. The Forest Rights Act (FRA) 2006 recognizes forest dwellers as both the real users and the custodians of forests.
FRA 2006 is of significance to the work Pradan is carrying out in the five districts— Kandhamal, Kalahandi, Rayagada, Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj—of Orissa. Communities in these districts depend on natural resource-based livelihoods and, therefore, most of Pradan’s interventions are aimed at increasing the carrying capacity of land, be it revenue or forest. In the course of Pradan’s work on livelihoods, we became aware of the many difficulties the forest dwellers were facing in availing of rights under the aforesaid Act. At the request of the community members, and realizing the importance of the Act, we engaged actively with departments/institutions at the village and district levels.