BHUBANESWAR: Tribal leaders and members of various social organisations of the State on Sunday demanded amendments in Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act, 2016 to ensure that it recognises the benefits guaranteed to forest dwellers under Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006.
During a consultation workshop organised at Lohia Academy here, they opposed the Act’s implementation in its present form citing that it does not have provisions to implement the FRA Act. The CAF Act empowers the States to get the money which will be used against the tribals, they alleged.
The tribal leaders demanded that the CAMPA funds should only be used when individual and collective rights of traditional forest dwellers are protected and approval of gram sabhas taken for use of funds. They decided to launch a State-wide campaign for protection of forest rights of tribals.
Tribal leaders from Keonjhar, Kandhamal, Sundargarh and Deogarh districts, Prafulla Samantara of Lok Sangram Samiti, Manohar Chauhan of Campaign for Survival and Dignity (CSD), Ghasiram Panda of ActionAid, Tusar Das and Sanghamitra Dubey of Vasundhara participated.