The Chhattisgarh Government has so far distributed individual land rights certificates to 3.34 lakh families in 24 out of 27 districts of Chhattisgarh.
Moreover, 2.57 hectares of land have been allotted to the forest dweller families. This apart, the Government has also distributed nearly 6,000 collective land rights certificates to various societies and organisations, and allotment of 68,980 hectares of land have been done on these certificates. Officials here informed that with issuance of individual forest rights certificates, the forest dweller families of State have now become eligible for availing the agricultural loan facility from cooperative societies.
The collective forest rights certificates have been distributed to Gram Panchayats for public land, after taking approval form Gram Sabhas and completion other necessary procedures. The State Government has distributed forest rights certificates under Scheduled Tribe and other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act 2006 and Rule 2007.
According to the officials, as there is no forest land in Raipur, Bemetara and Durg districts, no forest rights certificates have been distributed in these districts. In remaining 24 districts, maximum number of forest rights certificates i.e. as many as 48,461 have been distributed in Kondagaon district, in the first trimester of the current financial year 2014-15 i.e. till June 2014.
Meanwhile, distribution of 31,793 individual forest rights certificates in Korba district, 30,651 certificates in Bastar (Jagdalpur) district, 21,212 in North Bastar (Kanker) district, 20,263 in Surajpur district, 19,573 in Sarguja district, 15,786 certificates in Bilaspur district, 14,679 in Balrampur-Ramanujganj district, 14,402 in Gariaband district, 12,084 in Raigarh district, and 12,038 individual forest rights certificates in Dhamtari district has been done.
In the same time period, 10,423 forest dweller families in Koriya district, 10,160 in Kabeerdham (Kawardha) district, 9,886 in Rajnandgaon district, 9,626 in Sukma district, 8,556 in Mahasamund district, 9,325 in South Bastar (Dantewada) district, 7,438 in Bijapur district, 4,725 in Mungeli district, 4,030 in Narayanpur district, 3,961 in Balodabazar-Bhatapara district, 1690 in Balod district and 754 families in Janjgir-Champa district have been provided with individual forest rights certificates.
Officials informed that under this act, collective forest rights certificates have also been distributed. Maximum number of collective forest rights certificates i.e. 1,890 have been distributed in Bastar (Jagdalpur) district. Moreover, distribution of 671 collective forest rights certificates in Rajnandgaon district, 667 in Koriya district, 306 in Sukma district, 386 in Kondagaon district, 311 in Bilaspur district, 262 in North Bastar (Kanker) district, 246 in Dhamtari district, 208 in South Bastar (Dantewada) district, 154 in Sarguja district, 173 in Jashpur district, 102 in Bijapur district, 97 in Balodabazar-Bhatapara district, 96 in Kabeerdham district, 93 in Balod district, 57 in Gariaband district, 50 in Narayanpur district, and that of 50 collective forest rights certificates in Mungeli district have been done. As on June 2014, redressal of nearly 29 thousand applications for individual forest rights certificates and 2,454 applications of collective forest rights certificates are in process.