Stressing the need for proper implementation of the Forest Rights Act (FRA) in the country, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Sunday said that the Compensatory Afforestation Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) Bill should not be passed in Parliament in its current form.
Stating that the Congress was opposing the Bill, Mr. Ramesh said that he had moved an amendment that CAMPA funds should be utilised after the implementation of the FRA.
Maoist activities
Urging the BJD to oppose the CAMPA Bill in the Rajya Sabha, Mr. Ramesh said that if the Bill is passed in Parliament in its present form, it would give rise to Maoist activities.
The Congress leader lamented that the CAMPA Bill had no provision for consent of the Gram Sabhas for implementation of the compensatory afforestation scheme. He criticised the Naveen Patnaik Government for the poor implementation of FRA in Odisha. Only around 3.7 lakh land pattas had been distributed under the Act in Odisha since it came into force in 2006 as against over six lakh applications received for the purpose, he said.
As regards granting of community forest rights under FRA, Mr. Ramesh said that the Odisha had also failed in this regard. Only 5,000 community rights pattas were given though 13,000 applications had been received from different parts of the State, he said.
As many as 30,000 villages out of the total of 57,000 villages in Odisha can be provided community forest rights if FRA was properly implemented in Odisha, he said.
Nationwide campaign
Mr. Ramesh informed that Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi will launch a nationwide campaign next month to highlight the significance of proper implementation FRA to empower the tribals. Mr. Gandhi would tour several States including Odisha after launching his campaign in Andhra Pradesh on August 6, Mr. Ramesh said, while adding that effective implementation of FRA would go a long way in empowering the tribals and the forest dwellers, part from playing a significant role in reducing Maoist activities.
