TFP Bureau, Raipur, July 3, 2025: The Chhattisgarh Forest Department has reiterated its strong commitment to the transparent, scientific, and community-driven implementation of the Forest Rights Act, 2006. The state has emerged as a national leader in the recognition and distribution of forest rights, having granted 4,78,641 individual titles and 4,349 Community Forest Resource Rights (CFRR), covering more than 20 lakh hectares and legally empowering millions of tribal and forest-dwelling families.<\/p>\n
The department clarified its role and approach amid recent concerns about an advisory issued to ensure community forest management plans align with the National Working Plan Code (NWPC) 2023. Officials emphasized that the advisory was intended purely to promote sustainable, consistent, and legally sound forest resource management in the absence of a central framework or model management plans.<\/p>\n
An earlier letter dated May 15, 2025, issued by the department, which temporarily directed field officers to implement only approved CFR management plans, inadvertently referred to the Forest Department as the “Nodal Agency” instead of the “Facilitator.” The error was corrected through a corrigendum on June 23, 2025. However, in view of concerns from some NGOs and Gram Sabhas, Forest and Climate Change Minister Shri Kedar Kashyap ordered the complete withdrawal of both the advisory and clarification, which is now being formally implemented through Office Letter No. 536 dated July 3, 2025.<\/p>\n
To advance the effective implementation of CFRR in the true spirit of the Forest Rights Act and in line with joint guidelines issued on March 14, 2024, the Forest Department has formally requested the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to urgently publish model CFR management plans. The department also seeks the release of detailed implementation guidelines and a standardized training handbook for master trainers, field staff, and Gram Sabha representatives.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Forest Department remains committed to upholding the spirit of the law and empowering forest communities through a process that is transparent, participatory, and ecologically sustainable,\u201d the department stated. Officials further assured that traditional knowledge will be integrated into future planning to ensure long-term protection and equitable use of community forest resources.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Over 4.8 lakh individual titles and 4,349 community forest rights granted; call for national model plans to strengthen sustainable management<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2370,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[116,118,117],"tags":[376],"class_list":["post-2373","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-breaking-news","category-chhattishgarh","category-state","tag-transparent-and-community-centric-forest-rights"],"yoast_head":"\n