INDIA BUSINESS WORLD - JANUARY 1^st - JANUARY 15^th - 2008

PM WRITES TO CMS ON SPEEDY IMPLEMENTATION OF SCHEDULED TRIBES AND TRADITIONAL FOREST DWELLERS ACT

The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh has written to the Chief Ministers of all the states seeking their cooperation and commitment to ensure effective implementation of the Scheduled Tribes and Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006. The act requires State governments to constitute committees that will process the cases and ensure distribution of land rights. The Prime Minister has urged the state governments to set up, at the earliest, the State and District Level Monitoring Committees and the local - below district level committees so that the work can be commenced promptly.

Dr. Singh also stressed on the need to ensure wide publicity of the provisions of the act at the local level. He pointed out that while implementing the act it should be ensured that adequate protection is provided to critical wildlife habitats as provided for in the act.

The text of the Prime Ministers letter to the Chief Ministers of all States and UTs, written on 8th January 2008, is as follows:

As you are aware, the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 has now been notified along with the Rules. This is a landmark legislation in independent India that seeks to provide rights over land in their occupation to forest-dwelling scheduled tribes and other traditional forest dwellers who have been residing there for generations but whose rights could not be recorded.

You may appreciate that it is necessary to ensure proper implementation of this Act expeditiously, in keeping with the Rules provided under it. The responsibility for implementation vests with the State Governments which are required to constitute Committees under the Act that would process the cases and ensure distribution of land rights. Therefore the State Level Monitoring committees, District Level Committees and below-district level Committees should be constituted at the earliest so that the work can commence. The Rules provide for the composition of these committees and their respective functions.

There should be effective communication at multiple fora to ensure that the provisions of this Act and Rules are well known and such public information contributes to transparency and accountability its implementation. Ministry of Panchayati Raj would be writing separately to you to organize Gram Sabhas across the country on an appointed day to ensure that the provisions of this Act are made widely known to Members of the Gram Sabha and Panchayats who will play a critical role in its implementation.

Needless to stress, while implementing the Act, it should be ensured that adequate protection is provided to critical wildlife habitats as provided for in Section 4 of the Act.

I look forward to your leadership and cooperation in the speedy and effective implementation of this significant legislation.