Members of Campaign for Survival and Dignity (CSD) Odisha met National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) Chairman Dr Rameswar Oaron on Saturday and appraised him on the various Forest Rights Act implementation issues in the State.
Oaron is in Odisha on a three-day tour to discuss on the various violation issues of tribals with the Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Chief Secretary AP Padhi including illegal land acquisition for Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) violating PESA, 1996.
Apprising him on the implication of CAMPA fund Bill passed by the Parliament on July 28, the CSD shared that the CAMPA Fund Act, 2016 is in direct violation of Forest Rights Act, 2006. When the FRA recognises Gram Sabha as the authority over community forest resources (CFR) area and empowers Gram Sabha under Section 3(1)(i) to protect, regenerate and manage the forest, there is no mention of Gram Sabha in the whole CAMPA Act, 2016. It also violates the spirit of the Central PESA Act, 1996.
The Odisha Government will get Rs 600 crore share of the total Rs42,000 crore CAMPA fund accumulated at the Centre due to forest land diversion in the State. CSD informed the NCST Chairman that the State Forest Department which is consistently bypassing FRA, 2006 would be more empowered with the CAMPA fund and will do more violation in the State. It urged the NCST to direct the Central Government to withdraw the CAMPA fund Act passed in the Parliament.
The CSD has also appraised the NCST on lunching of illegal Ama Jungle Yojana and promoting VSS in the villages diluting FRA. It also informed the Commission that the Odisha Government has failed to comply with the directions of the NCST to halt the Ama Jungle Yojana.