Amid protests, Chhattisgarh govt withdraws directive on Community Forest Resource Rights

Faced with mounting protests, the Chhattisgarh forest department on Thursday withdrew its directive that had effectively barred all other government departments, NGOs and private entities from undertaking any activity concerning Community Forest Resource Rights (CFRR).

Forest minister Kedar Kashyap has directed that the advisory be withdrawn, the department said in a statement. The directive was perceived by a section of society as an attempt to restrict rights, it said.

Under the Forest Rights Act, CFRR empowers gram sabhas to manage and protect community forest resources and to stop any activity that adversely affects wild animals, forests or biodiversity.

The state forest department had issued a directive on 15 May, saying it would manage forest land given to tribal communities and forest dwellers under the Forest Rights Act until the Centre provided a model plan on how to manage these areas.

In the communication, V. Sreenivasa Rao, principal chief conservator of forest and head of the forest force, had claimed that a 2020 central order had made his department the “nodal agency” for implementing CFRR.

The move sparked protests by gram sabhas, tribal organisations and civil society groups in many districts, with the protesters calling the directive unconstitutional and against the law that gives forest dwellers the right to protect and manage their forests.

On Wednesday, rallies were held in Nagri, Ambikapur, Kanker, Gaurela, Narayanpur, Gariaband, Pithora, Balod and Bastar, and memorandums were submitted to the authorities against the controversial decision.

The 15 May letter from Rao was purely an interim procedural measure directing that only approved CFRR management plans be implemented until model plans were issued, the department release said.

“This letter inadvertently referred to the Forest Department as the ‘Nodal Agency’, while the correct designation was ‘Facilitator/ Coordinator’. This typographical error was duly corrected by a corrigendum dated 23.06.2025,” it said.

“In view of the confusion that arose, Forest Minister Kedar Kashyap directed the withdrawal of both the letter (May 25) and the clarification (June 23),” the statement said.

The forest department has played a “proactive, constructive, and exemplary role” in recognising and distributing both individual and community forest resource rights under The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, it said.

So far, the state has granted 478,641 Individual Rights and 4,349 CFRR titles covering 2,006,224 hectares, thereby empowering millions of forest-dwelling families. This stands as testimony to the state’s administrative commitment, transparency, and dedication to sustainable development, it said.

“During the course of CFRR implementation, in the absence of model management plans and detailed guidelines, the department issued only an advisory to its field officers to ensure that community management plans are scientifically harmonised with the National Working Plan Code, 2023,” it said.

This advisory became necessary because, without a clear framework, field-level implementation was increasingly inconsistent, posing serious risks of ecological degradation, conflict with working plans approved by the Union Forest Ministry, and potential disputes among communities and departments, the department said.

“Some NGOs and gram sabhas perceived this advisory as an attempt to restrict rights, whereas the department's sole intent was to ensure transparent, sustainable, and legally robust management preparedness,” the statement said.

The department said it has requested the ministry of tribal affairs and the ministry of environment, forest and climate change to urgently issue model CFRR management plans aligned with the National Working Plan Code, to provide detailed implementation guidelines, and publish a comprehensive training module for all stakeholders, it added.