CSRTR-NUSRL Conducts FRA Awareness Workshop For Tribal Communities In Ranchi

The Centre for Study and Research in Tribal Rights (CSRTR) at NUSRL Ranchi, in association with the Institute of Community Forest Governance (ICFG), Foundation for Ecological Security (FES), and Jharkhand Jungle Bachao Andolan (JJBA), conducted a one-day awareness workshop on the Forest Rights Act (FRA) 2006 and the FRA Rules on 17th May 2025. This workshop was held at Kotari Khunti Jharna, Burmu, Ranchi, and witnessed the participation of Forest Rights Committee members and Gram Sabha representatives from 16 villages across four blocks: Chandwa, Burmu, Kanke, and Ormanjhi.

Guided by professor, Ram Chandra Oraon, the event aimed to provide tribal communities with a comprehensive understanding of the FRA and practical training on how to claim their rightful land in forest areas. A total of 12 law students from the university participated in the workshop alongside several field experts including Xavier Kujur (ICFG), Vijay Bhagat, and Dharmesh Bhagat (FES).

Workshop Sessions

The workshop began at 9:00 AM with breakfast and participant registration, followed by an inaugural session where Mr. Ram Chandra Oraon shared the objectives and welcomed the gathering. Each participant, including students and villagers, introduced themselves, setting an interactive tone for the day. Mr. Xavier Kujur then took the stage to provide a historical context of the FRA and current legal implementation challenges.

The first technical session, conducted by the NUSRL students, providing legal insights into comprehensive understanding of the FRA, 2006: The students began by providing an overview of the Act, emphasizing the need to correct historical injustices. Building on this foundation, the team then discussed Section 3, highlighting both individual and community forest rights under the Act. They further elaborated on the evidence requirements and the interpretation of key provisions. The discussion progressed to the 2012 Amendment Rules, with a particular focus on the empowered role of Gram Sabhas in the implementation process. Additionally, the team spoke on Sections 5 to 7, outlining the responsibilities of communities and the legal penalties for violations. Finally, they explained the documentation process, procedures for form submission, and the legal safeguards in place to prevent false claims.Additionally, a presentation was conducted on the 'Abua Bir Dishom Scheme' and its implementation in Jharkhand. The presentation focused on the importance of digital facilities provided under the scheme, such as the JharFRA mobile application and its website. Furthermore, an understanding of the JharFRA app was given to the participants, along with details of other facilities offered under the scheme.

Subsequently, a Question-and-Answer session was conducted during the workshop to understand the participants' problems under the FRA, 2006 and the Abua Bir Dishom Scheme. The participants expressed that their major challenges were a lack of knowledge about the law and the claim filing process under the FRA. They also highlighted issues of malpractice by authorities involved in verifying the Rights, which leads to delay to them in receiving the Pattas for their own land and also leads to lack of trust between the Forest Dweller and the Government. The CSRTR team of NUSRL, along with experts from FES, ICFG, and JJBA, addressed their concerns and provided appropriate solutions.

Post-lunch, 2 technical sessions were conducted, which focused on the Claim Filing under the FRA. Experts Vijay Bhagat and Dharmesh Bhagat provided training on filing individual forest claims, while Xavier Kujur explained the process for community-level forest claims. This was followed by practical exercises where participants were guided step-by-step through filling out claim forms. The session also included a checklist of documents required and procedures followed by SDLC and DLC authorities.

Towards the end of the workshop, short interviews were conducted with both experts and participants to understand the viewpoints more efficiently. The experts appreciated the enthusiasm of the participants and emphasized the importance of legal awareness for grassroots empowerment for the proper implementation of the FRA. The Participants also expressed that the workshop was helpful in clarifying procedural doubts and were grateful for the legal expertise made available to them.