Forest Rights Act Cell
Why in news?
The Ministry of Tribal Affairs announced a revamp of FRA Cells, shifting to unified Project Monitoring Units (PMUs) at state and district levels to better integrate with Forest Conservation Act processes. This followed approvals for 324 district-level cells across 18 states/UTs under the Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyaan (DAJGUA).
About FRA Cells
- Introduced under: Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyaan (DAJGUA), launched in October 2024.
- Purpose: To strengthen the implementation of the Forest Rights Act, 2006 by providing technical and administrative support.
- Structure: Set up at State and District levels across 18 States and Union Territories.
Aims & Functions
- Support role: Provide manpower and resources to help process forest rights claims.
- Record-keeping: Assist in digitizing and maintaining records of forest rights titles.
- Capacity building: Train officials and local institutions in FRA procedures.
- Coordination: Act as “one-stop” units to streamline communication between government departments and tribal communities.
- Non-interference: They do not intervene in statutory decision-making but facilitate smoother implementation.
Reach & Impact
- Covers 63,843 tribal-dominated villages across 30 States/UTs, involving 2,911 blocks and 549 districts.
- Expected to benefit over 5 crore tribal people by addressing gaps in:
- Land and forest rights recognition
- Livelihood opportunities
- Infrastructure, education, and health services
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