In order to provide permanent housing facilities to the tribal forest dwellers, the State Government has decided to urge the Union Government to allocate additional one lakh houses under the Indira Awas Yojana (IAY).
According to official sources, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik would write a letter to Union Rural Development Minister Jayram Ramesh to sanction the additional IAY houses for the tribal dwellers under the Forest Rights
Act-2006 (FRA).
The decision was taken at a review meeting held under the Chairmanship of the Chief Minister on Saturday on the implementation of the FRA and distribution of Pattas to the tribal beneficiaries.
According to official sources, the State achieved the distinction of being the
number one State in the country as far as distribution of land patta to the tribals under the FRA- 2006 is concerned.
Till May last, the land rights have been given to 3, 16, 425 beneficiaries. As many as 3, 34, 826 cases of the 5, 40, 853 claims have been finalized, including around 17,500 claims from the vulnerable tribals groups.
Besides, 2,983 of the 6,217 community claims for land rights have been finalized, sources informed.
So far, the Union Government has provided 1.08 lakh IAY for the tribal beneficiaries and since the number of land right holders has increased, the State needs another one lakh IAY.
The FRA-2006 is being implemented in 47,529
tribal villages across 30 districts and as many as 47,398 Forest Right Committees have been formed for the purpose, sources added.