Tribal Affairs Ministry set to revamp forest rights cells, form ‘one-stop’ coordinating units, Pg8

Key Highlights:

• The Tribal Affairs Ministry is revamping Forest Rights Act Cells (FRA cells) a year after initiating funding for them.
• The revamp involves creating 'one-stop' Project Monitoring Units (PMUs) at the State and Union Territory level to coordinate all policy matters.
• As of last June, the Ministry had sanctioned 324 district-level cells in 18 States and U.T.s, and 17 cells at the State level.
• The Odisha government has already ordered the closure of existing FRA cells in 50 sub-divisions as part of the revamp.

Detailed Insights:

• The initial funding of FRA cells was part of the Ministry’s DAJGUA programme, aimed at providing States with additional resources to expedite the processing of forest rights claims and digitize records.
• The Ministry official stated that funding cells exclusively for FRA implementation was "increasing costs" and complicating communication with States on policy implementation.
• Each State and U.T. will now have a PMU comprising four officials with expertise in FRA support, livelihood support, IT and MIS, and general assistance.
• Under the PMUs, each district will have two experts for FRA support and one MIS expert for coordination.
• Some States have expressed concerns about shutting down existing FRA cells, but have been informed of their temporary nature.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006: An act to recognize and vest the forest rights and occupation in forest land in forest dwelling Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers.
• Project Monitoring Unit (PMU): A central unit established to coordinate and oversee the implementation of various policies and projects.
• DAJGUA Programme: A Tribal Affairs Ministry initiative to provide resources to states for the effective implementation of the Forest Rights Act, 2006.