Srinagar Oct 6 (KNS) : A joint delegation of Jammu & Kashmir Climate Action Group-JKCAG and National Alliance on Community Forest Resources & Minor Forest Produce (NACM) met Speaker of J&K Legislative Assembly Mr Abdul Rahim Rather in Srinagar on Tuesday.

The delegation led by Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat (Chairman JKCAG) and Dileep Gode (National Convener NACM) presented a memorandum to the speaker demanding enforcement of Forest Rights Act -FRA in J&K as thousands of claims filed by people in last 4 to 5 years remain undecided.

Delegation consisted of members of the national-level steering committee of NACM from five states: Maharashtra, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Himachal Pradesh. The delegation raised issues of pending FRA claims in Poonch district and evictions done in Hari village of Surankot few years back by Forest Department

The Jammu & Kashmir Climate Action Group (JKCAG) and National Alliance on Community Forest Resources & Minor Forest Produce (NACM) suggested holding trainings and workshops for government officials, especially from the Tribal Affairs, Revenue, Forest and Rural Development Departments, and community based organisations.

This crucial meeting was held immediately after the conclusion of a high-level, two-day National Workshop on the Forest Rights Act held in Poonch which brought together legal experts, environmentalists, civil society members, rights advocates, and forest-dependent community representatives from Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, and J&K.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel

The JKCAG & NACM delegation discussed best practices from states like Odisha, Maharashtra, Himachal and Madhya Pradesh, where robust implementation of Individual Forest Rights-IFR, Community Forest Rights-CFR, and Minor Forest Produce (MFP) governance has significantly boosted rural livelihoods and forest conservation.

J&K Assembly Speaker assured the delegation that he will take up the matter directly with the Chief Minister and the Minister for Forest/Tribal Affairs to prioritize FRA enforcement across all districts of Jammu & Kashmir and also work on creating more training workshops and seminars about this legislation. NACM delegation requested Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather to visit Maharashtra for having on-spot visit to areas where FRA implementation has changed lives of forest dwelling tribal communities.

In addition to Dileep Gode and Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat the delegation members who met Speaker J&K Legislative Assembly included Sandeep Minhas from Kullu Himachal, Advocate Virender Kumar from Ranchi Jharkhand, Kailash Babu from Kandhamal, Odisha, Dr. Kishore Moge from Yavatmal, Maharashtra, Keshav Gurnoole from Gadchiroli, Maharashtra, Dr. Chitaranjan from Kalahandi, Odisha and Bharat Namdev from Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, Owais Mir from J&K .(KNS)