UNDP Report on FRA Implementation
Source: The Hindu
GS II: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation
Overview
- News in Brief
- Key Findings
- Key Recommendations
- Forest Rights Act
Why in the News?
The UNDP report Securing Rights, Enabling Futures – Policy Lessons from FRA and Future Pathways reviewed nearly 20 years of Forest Rights Act (FRA) implementation.
News in Brief
- A United Nations report released this month on the progress of the Forest Rights Act in India has suggested that there may be a need to build consensus for a sunset clause.
- Provides an end date for the recognition and vesting of rights under the law to Scheduled Tribes and other forest-dwellers.
- The report has also recommended a slew of measures for post-recognition management and governance.
Key Findings
- Persistent Gaps
- Uptake gaps, under-implementation due to historical conflicts, weak policy execution, and jurisdictional issues.
- Several FRA titles are missing in Chhattisgarh records (record-keeping errors).
- Sunset Clause Proposal
- States like Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Maharashtra favour an “end date” for recognition and vesting of rights.
- Gram Sabhas recommended to decide when claims saturation is reached.
- Incorrect Recognition
- Some FRA titles were incorrectly recognised due to weak record-keeping, and lack of proper verification.
- Institutional Challenges
- Conflicts between Tribal Welfare Departments vs Forest Departments.
- Unclear stage for integration of Gram Sabha Forest Management Plans with official Working Plans.
Key Recommendations
- Strengthening Post-Recognition Governance
- Establish inter-departmental committees to resolve conflicts.
- Accurate and centralised record-keeping of FRA holders.
- Gender Equity
- Disaggregate FRA data gender-wise.
- Ensure women’s leadership in designing Community Forest Resource (CFR) management plans.
- Link FRA with NRLM, emphasising gender-sensitive livelihood avenues.
- Mainstreaming Forest Rights
- Recognise FRA right-holders as a category in all welfare and livelihood schemes.
- Formulate a National Tribal Policy (5-year horizon).
- Use Article 275(1) for financial support to integrate FRA + PESA for stronger tribal self-governance.
- Sustaining Growth
- Mission-mode schemes like PM-JANMAN and DAJGUA praised, but long-term programmes needed for durable outcomes.
- Unutilised Provisions
- Section 3(1)(k), FRA: Community rights over biodiversity, IP, and traditional knowledge – no claims yet, potential for monetisation.
- Minor Forest Produce (MFP)
- Clarify ownership, harvesting, transit, and sale norms.
Forest Rights Act
- Forest Rights Act, 2006 (Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act).
- Purpose
- To recognise and vest rights to use forests and forest resources in the Scheduled Tribes and other communities that have traditionally been dependent on forests for their livelihoods.
- FRA prevents eviction of forest dwellers without rehabilitation and settlement.
- Gram Sabha (village assembly) initiates, verifies, and decides claims for rights, supported by sub-divisional and district-level committees.
- Titles have been distributed over 2.32 crore acres of forest land, of which 1.88 crore acres are covered under various community rights titles.
Daily Current Affairs: Click Here