Srinagar, Dec 12: The Jammu and Kashmir government has designated the Tribal Affairs Department as the nodal agency for implementing the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, replacing the Forest Department.
As per the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), Office of the Chief Minister, J&K, stated this in a post on X. “Addressing a long-pending demand of the tribal population of J&K, the Government has designated the Tribal Affairs Department as the Nodal Department for implementing the Scheduled Tribes & Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, replacing the Forest Department,” it said.
“This step will ensure more effective implementation of the Act while safeguarding the rights of our tribal communities,” the CM office added.
Notably, the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, or Forest Rights Act (FRA), aims to address concerns raised by forest-dwelling communities from time to time.
It recognises individual and community rights over forest land and resources for Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers.
The law became applicable to J&K only after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. (KNO)
