Chief Minister Champai Soren today attended the one-day workshop on the topic of Abua Bir Abua Dishom Abhiyan (Empowering Communities-Ensuring Rights Decoding FRA-2006 - Justice, Conservation and Challenges) organized here as the chief guest. On this occasion, the CM said in his address that providing the rights to all sections of the community including the tribals and natives living in the forest areas of Jharkhand under the Forest Rights Act is one of the top priorities of the state government. The CM said that every point of the Abua Veer, Abua Dishom campaign was discussed in detail in today's workshop. I am confident that this workshop will prove to be historic and a milestone for Jharkhand.

Addressing all the officers present in the workshop, the CM said that by making the Forest Rights Act simple and transparent, the people of all sections and communities including the tribals and natives living in the forest areas of Jharkhand should be given forest patta with respect as per the decision of the Gram Sabha. As per the recommendation of the Gram Sabha, whether the demand for land in the application received for forest patta is in hectares or acres, we will provide that much land to them on priority basis, there is a need to work with this goal.

The CM expressed confidence that after this workshop, the Abua Veer Abua Dishom campaign will gain momentum. The main objective of this campaign is to fulfill the shortcomings in the distribution of forest patta. I not only hope but have full confidence that now the state government will definitely move forward and achieve success in the work of forest patta distribution as per the target. He told the officials that there is a need not only to distribute forest patta among the families residing in the forest area but also to connect them in every aspect of development. It is the moral responsibility of all of us to strengthen them socially, economically and educationally.

Soren said that the Forest Rights Act came into force in the year 2006. It has been 18 years since this Act came into force, yet we are still far behind in giving the rights of forest land to the families living in the forest area. Thousands of applications for forest patta have been cancelled in various offices of Jharkhand. The public will have to answer why these applications have been cancelled. The state government will take strict action against those officers who will deliberately try to cancel the applications received for forest patta.

The Chief Minister said that the Abua Veer Abua Dishom campaign should not be taken lightly. This is an important and effective campaign. The roadmap prepared by the state government for the settlement of forest patta claims under this campaign will have to be implemented on the ground at all costs. Today, all of us responsible people have gathered in this workshop and we all have to discharge our responsibilities with promptness and complete honesty, only then the tribal and indigenous families here will be able to get the benefit of the Forest Rights Act.

On this occasion, Minister of Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and Backward Class Welfare Department, Deepak Birua said that in today's workshop, we are all contemplating on a serious subject. The Forest Rights Act is an important link to protect the families living in the forest area. At present, there is a need to deeply understand the purpose and sentiments of the Forest Rights Act. He appealed to the officers present to change their working style and implement the provisions of the Forest Rights Act with a positive mind-set.