In a historic step that has the potential to transform the lives of members of the deprived Tribal Communities in the UT of J&K, Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha Monday handed over individual and community rights certificates to the beneficiaries of Gujjar-Bakerwal, Gaddi-Sippi communities under the Forest Rights Act, 2006.
Speaking on the occasion, the Lt Governor termed it as a historic day for J&K and said that it was after a wait of more than 14 years, due rights have been conferred upon the Tribal community by implementing the Forest Rights Act of 2006, keeping in mind the basic spirit of social equality and harmony as guided by the Constitution of our country and the Parliament.
The Lt Governor said that under the guidance of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the J&K administration has been vigorously pursuing the ideals of establishing an equitable and just social order and has been working sincerely to empower the Tribal community, which remained neglected and discriminated against for decades together.
“Empowering the tribal community through the Forest Rights Act means giving them back the rights for a better life while fulfilling the primary needs of water, food, home, and livelihood. It will certainly change the condition of their lives. They will become self-reliant with access to resources for their development”, he added.
Besides implementing the constitutional rights of the tribal community, we are also working to connect J&K’s tribal population and their new generation with the mainstream of development, added the Lt Governor.
The Lt Governor lauded the role of the Department of Forests and Tribal Affairs for reaching out to the stakeholders in order to ensure the seamless transfer of rights to all the genuine beneficiaries.
“I want to assure that the UT administration is continuously working at different levels to protect the interests of Tribal people, including their land; full attention will be given to the maintenance of forests”, he added.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Arun Kumar Mehta, Chief Secretary, termed the occasion as historic and called upon the members of the tribal communities to discharge their responsibilities to protect the forests.