Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has awarded habitat rights under the Forest Rights Act (FRA) to 32 villages of Paudi Bhuyan community in Deogarh district under the Mo Jungle Jami Yojana (MJJM).
Chief Secretary Pradeep Kumar Jena handed over the Habitat Rights titles to the community leaders at a function in Bhubaneswar on Friday.
Paudi Bhuyan, a particularly vulnerable tribal group (PTVG), is the first indigenous community from Odisha to receive the habitat rights. It is fourth such title awarded in India under the category following the Bharia PVTG in Madhya Pradesh and Kamar PVTG and Baiga PVTG in Chhattisgarh.
During the claim filing process, the technical support was extended by Scheduled Caste Scheduled Tribe Research and Training Institute (SCSTRTI) under the ST&SC Development, Minorities and Backward Classes Welfare department.
Secretary, ST&SC Development, Minorities and Backward Classes Welfare department Roopa Roshan Sahoo said this was a proud moment for all the stakeholders. Indramani Tripathy, Director SCSTRTI and Director ST at the Department, termed it a “significant milestone”.
After receiving the title document, the tribals said now they can collect the minor forest produce (MFP) from the forests and sell it to the SHGs and government agencies under Laghu Bana Jatiya Drabya Kraya (LABHA) scheme at minimum support price.
The Paudi Bhuyan community had filed the Habitat Rights claim through the Bamunda Anchalika Paudi Bhuyan Samaj under Barkote tehsil in 2021.
Deogarh Collector Somesh Upadhyay, Divisional Forest Officer Magar Dhanaji Rao and FRA expert and team leader from Vasundhara Arabinda Rout also spoke.
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