Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs, under the Dharti Aba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyaan (DAJGUA), a Central scheme, has so far sanctioned the setting up of 324 district-level FRA cells for implementing the forest rights law.
- Additionally, State-level FRA cells have also been sanctioned for multiple states and UTs.
About District-level FRA Cells
- Objective: To assist with paperwork and data management for FRA claims, without interfering with decisions made by statutory committees.
- Rules governing the operation of these cells flow from the DAJGUA programme and not the principal legislation of the FRA - The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006.
- The principal law mandates the State government to set up the structure for processing forest rights claims, which includes -
- Gram Sabha Forest Rights Committees (FRCs),
- Sub-Divisional Level Committees (SDLCs),
- District Level Committees (DLCs), and
- State Monitoring Committees.
- The principal law mandates the State government to set up the structure for processing forest rights claims, which includes -
Concerns with the establishment of new Cells
- Creation of a "parallel FRA mechanism" outside the purview of principal legislation.
- Adding more committees or cells may not resolve structural issues in FRA implementation.
- Key reasons for high pending claims include infrequent meetings of Sub-Divisional and District Level Committees and the Forest departments’ reluctance to act on approved claims.
