Department of Social & Tribal Welfare organised an orientation program for senior officials of UT Ladakh on the various provisions of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 on March 22.

The online orientation workshop on the Act, which is also known as Forest Rights Act(FRA)  2006, was conducted by the National Tribal Research Institute, New Delhi, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, GoI.

Speaking in the opening session, Dr. Navaljit Kapoor, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tribal Affairs emphasised that the training and capacity building of officials of UT Ladakh on the Forest Rights Act 2006 is essential for effective implementation of the FRA which recognises and vests the Forest rights with the Scheduled Tribes and other traditional Forest dwellers. 

Addressing the participants, Commissioner/Secretary, Social & Tribal Welfare, Ladakh, Padma Angmo said that this is the first workshop to orient senior officials of the UT, comprehensive training will be organised for the District, Sub-Divisional and Village Level Committees so that the Committees are equipped to carry out their obligations as mandated in the Act.

The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 became applicable to the UTs of Ladakh and J&K from October 31, 2019, after the enactment of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act -2019. The Rules for implementing the Act was framed in 2008 and further amended in 2012. 

In conjunction with the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Settlement Act, 2013 FRA protects the tribal population from eviction without rehabilitation and settlement. It also provides rights to the allocation of forest land for developmental purposes to fulfil the basic infrastructural needs of the community.

The Act aims to recognise and vest Rights to forest-dwelling Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers who have been residing in such forests for generations but whose rights could not be recorded.

The technical session included sections of FRA, deciphering concepts and definitions, Role and Responsibilities of the mandated authorities and Process of recognition and vesting of Forest Rights.

The meeting was attended by members of UT Level Monitoring Committee and District Level Committee, Chief Conservator of Forests, Chief Wildlife Warden and Sub-Divisional Magistrates from the two districts.