Revitalization of Rivers in India Draft Policy - Isha Guru Jaggi Vasudev

Revitalization of Rivers In India
Draft Policy Recommendation
The recognition of CFR rights empowers forest dwellers with the authority
over decision-making and forest governance with access to and use of funds
available under various government programs for management of their
CFRs.
The provisions for CFR rights in the FRA are reinforced by provisions within
the Forest Rights Rules.
Every village with any forest dwellers residing in it should receive a title to
a Community Forest Resource (Section 12(B)(3) of the Forest Rights Rules)
unless reasons for not being able to do so are recorded by the authorities.
Rule 4 (e) of FRA states that communities which claim rights under the Act
have a right to ‘constitute committees for the protection of wildlife, forests
and biodiversity, from amongst its members, in order to carry out the
provisions of Section 5 of the Act’.
The CFR right, therefore, is much wider than the various community rights
delineated under Section 3(1) in that it extends over a geographical area
where the community traditionally and customarily had access, and also
vests important responsibilities and powers in the Gram Sabha to ensure
the CFR area, and the wildlife, water sources, forests, and biodiversity it
comprises, is protected from harm.
Source: Kalpavriksh, 2010; MoEF and MoTA, 2010; MoTA & UNDP, 2015; and
RRI et al., 2015.
POTENTIAL FOR COMMUNITY FOREST MANAGEMENT
A study found that there is enormous potential for community forest
management through community forest resource (CFR) rights under FRA.
At least 40 mha of forest lands are eligible for CFR rights recognition across
the country. This estimate includes 32.198 mha of forest land identified by the
Forest Survey of India 1999 as located within village boundaries and at least
8 mha of community forests in North-Eastern States, but not forest areas
Annexures
499