RP Gupta, Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEFCC), and Anil Kumar Jha, Secretary, Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA), signed a ‘Joint Communication’ in New Delhi recently in the presence of Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar (since replaced as minister in a reshuffle) and Minister of Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda. The Joint Communication, which is addressed to all chief secretaries of states and UTs, emphasises the importance of enacting the Forest Rights Act (FRA) of 2006 as soon as possible in order to maximise the potential for improving the livelihoods of Forest Dwelling Scheduled Tribes (FDSTs) and other Traditional Forest Dwellers (OTFDs). At the function, Munda reiterated that tribals and other forest dwellers will be able, with the right guidance, to make a significant contribution to counter climate change through supporting biodiversity, conserving the environment and improving the forest cover. In his speech on the occasion, Munda said: “This requires extensive training and capacity building of different stakeholders, tribal communities and their representatives, officials and nodal agencies. Further training of local communities is possible only when master trainers and resource persons are available at the block and district level.” He added that the joint communication also concerned the rights and duties of forest dwellers and the improved participation of the same in dealing with forest management.
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The joint communication says tribals and forest dwellers have a big role to play
