The Hidayatullah National Law University (HNLU), Raipur, in association with Tata Institute of Social Service (TISS), Mumbai, the Foundation for Ecological Security (FES), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), recently organized a one-day workshop on the implementation of the Forest Rights Act in Chhattisgarh.
The workshop on the theme, “Potential Areas for Research and Policy Intervention in the context of the Forest Rights Act Implementation in Chhattisgarh” was held at the HNLU, Raipur campus on October 17.
The event aimed to strengthen the network of stakeholders for collaborative advocacy and to identify areas for future research. It saw the participation of several research scholars, academicians, NGOs, and practitioners from grassroots organizations working on forest rights from across Chhattisgarh.
Vice-Chancellor, HNLU, Prof (Dr.) VC Vivekanandan stressed on the importance of rethinking conservation in the larger context of the socio-economic rights of the people of developing nations.
PC Mishra (IFS), who serves as the Director of the Thakur Pyarelal State Institute of Panchayat & Rural Development, government of Chhattisgarh spoke on forest rights.
Rajat Bansal (IAS), Commissioner of MGNREGA, Chhattisgarh discussed the crucial role of MGNREGA post the recognition of the Forest Rights Act (FRA) and how it can create meaningful employment for people in rural areas - especially PESA areas (under the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act) - and increase their standard of living.
Prof (Dr.) Geetanjoy Sahu, Professor and Dean, TISS Mumbai, set the tone of the workshop by highlighting the situation of the FRA across the country. It was followed by a presentation on FRA implementation in Chattisgarh by Bibhore Deo from the UNDP.
The workshop included five round table panel discussions that dealt with several key challenges and issues surrounding FRA implementation in Chhattisgarh.
Among the issues discussed, were the procedural challenges in the claim process, an analysis of the enabling orders and processes that have contributed to the implementation of FRA in Chhattisgarh, and the crucial role of habitat rights for Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG) communities.
HNLU and TISS also signed an MoU on exchanging knowledge and developing a research partnership for the study and documentation of key environmental and rights-based policies and their implementation in Chhattisgarh.
The MoU was signed by the Registrar of HNLU, Dr. Vipan Kumar, on behalf of HNLU during the inaugural ceremony of the workshop.
The event was also attended by faculty members, researchers, and students of HNLU.