Training cum Workshop on the Forest Rights Act in Krishnagiri

District-level training on Forest Rights Act in Tamil Nadu aims to identify beneficiaries and implement FRA effectively.

A workshop-cum-training programme on the Forest Rights Act, 2006, was organised here for the stakeholders from the 4 line departments at the Collectorate.

The district-level orientation and training on the FRA is a follow-up to the release of the FRA Atlas recently. The Forest Rights Act potential Atlas that identifies the populations that are entitled to the benefits under the Act, was released on April 14, by Chief Minister M. K. Stalin.

Tamil Nadu became the second State in India to release the Forest Rights Act Potential Atlas. According to the Atlas, 11.52 million individuals from rural Tamil Nadu are slated to benefit from the FRA.

The district-level training workshop on the FRA was imparted to all stakeholder departments of Revenue, Forest, Rural Development, Tribal Welfare Department – whose members are in the Sub-divisional level and District level Committees as envisioned by the FRA.

Speaking to The Hindu, M. Bagavanidhi, State FRA Cell – Consultant, Adi Dravidar Tribal Welfare Department, said district-level training workshops on FRA were being conducted in various districts with the stakeholder departments to implement an action plan to finalise and identify habitations for the implementation of the FRA.

The Act mandates identification of the forest dependent villages and habitations leading to the formation of Forest Rights Gram Sabha and Forest Rights Committee.

The FRA Atlas that was released a fortnight ago was prepared by the Tribal Welfare Department with the help of the Census of 2011 and the forest maps, Mr. Bagavanidhi added.