Ranchi, March 17: Volunteers from amongst forest dwellers in five blocks of Jharkhand were trained on Forest Rights Act (FRA) and post claim management earlier this week at different locations.
The workshop was conducted by Phia Foundation, one of the technical partners helping the state government in the implementation of the Abua Bir Abua Dishom campaign of the government.
The campaign aims at facilitating realization of forest rights that includes Individual Forest Rights (IFR)s and Community Forest Rights (CFR) as per the Forest Rights Act (FRA)
The workshop were conducted Pakartanr block (Simdega district), Mahuadanr (Latehar), Thethaitangar (Simdega district), Manoharpur (West Singhbhum district) and Chainpur (Gumla district).
This training marked the second phase of a capacity-building initiative, following the first session conducted in December 2024.
The training brought together 152 community volunteers, including representatives from Forest
Rights Committees (FRCs), ward members and gram sabha members, to discuss progress made since the first phase.
Discussions included community-led initiatives such as forest fire prevention during the Mahua season, passing Gram Sabha resolutions for better management of forest resources, assisting in the Community Forest Rights (CFR) claim process, and raising awareness about the Forest Rights Act (FRA) and social security schemes.
“A dedicated session focused on post-claim management, providing insights into sustainable forest resource management and the long-term vision for community forests after receiving CFRR titles, “said Archana Toppo, associate state lead Jharkhand.
Titles and community managed forest resources could ensure sustainable livelihoods, food security and mitigate climate change among other benefits.
Block coordinator of the Phia Foundation guided participants on leveraging government schemes such as MGNREGA and CAMPA for forest development activities, including plantation on degraded land and constructing soil conservation structures like TCB (Trench Cum Bund) to prevent erosion.
The training emphasized the crucial role of community participation in forest governance and strengthened the volunteer, capacity to implement FRA effectively.
Participants reaffirmed their commitment to protecting and managing forest resources for sustainable development and ecological conservation.
