05-Feb-2025
Sahayata Kendras in Jharkhand: Strengthening Community Forest Rights Efforts
For many Indigenous and forest-dependent communities, the process of securing legal recognition over their traditional lands remains complex and bureaucratic. Challenges such as incomplete documentation, lack of clarity on claim filing steps, and limited digital access often delay or prevent claims from being submitted. The Sahayata Kendras and Sampark Helplines were established to bridge this gap, ensuring that no community is left behind in asserting their rights.
Following the successful distribution of Community Forest Rights (CFR) resource kits in pilot location of Jharkhand, the Initiative on the Forest Economy (IoFE) has launched Sahayata Kendras (Helpdesks) and Sampark (Helplines) to provide hands-on support for claim filing. These centers, now operational across 17 blocks in Simdega, Gumla, and East Singhbhum, serve as a critical next step in ensuring that Forest Rights Committees (FRCs) and village communities can successfully navigate the claim-generation process under the Forest Rights Act (FRA) 2006.
Bringing Support Closer to Communities
These helpdesks and helplines provide direct, real-time assistance to FRCs and community members at multiple levels:
On-Ground Assistance at Sahayata Kendras: Set up at block offices and weekly markets, these helpdesks offer step-by-step guidance on claim submission, document verification, and JharFRA registration.
Sampark (Helplines) for Remote Support: Dedicated helplines allow communities to seek assistance via phone calls and WhatsApp, helping resolve issues like incorrect documentation, missing maps, or trouble accessing official records.
Follow-Up and Monitoring: Continuous engagement through scheduled follow-ups, WhatsApp groups, and community visits ensures that FRCs remain on track throughout the claim-filing process.
By setting up these accessible and responsive support systems, the IoFE team is transforming forest rights governance from a distance, bringing technical guidance and on-ground assistance closer to the communities.
The introduction of Sahayata Kendras have already started making a significant impact:
35 villages have initiated the CFR claim-generation process with direct assistance from the helpdesks.
FRCs are now actively engaging in documentation and verification, ensuring that claims are filed with the required accuracy and completeness.
Local leaders and community members have begun using the Sampark Helplines to clarify doubts, seek updates, and ensure timely progress.
These milestones highlight the growing momentum in scaling up community-led forest tenure efforts. As more villages engage with these support structures, the reach and effectiveness of the Abua Bir Abua Dishom (ABAD) campaign continue to expand.
Scaling the Effort: A Path Forward
With the initial success of Sahayata Kendras in select blocks, the next step is to expand their reach and refine their operations based on community feedback. The IoFE team is working to:
Strengthen coordination between helpdesks and local governance structures to ensure seamless support.
Improve digital outreach and helpline accessibility, making real-time assistance available even in remote villages.
Build community capacity by training local FRC leaders to facilitate claim filings more independently.
By bridging the last-mile gap in forest rights governance, the Sahayata Kendras and Sampark Helplines are helping to turn legal recognition into a reality for forest-dependent communities across Jharkhand. This initiative reinforces the importance of accessible, community-driven governance systems, ensuring that Indigenous and local communities not only receive their rightful land titles but also gain the confidence and knowledge to manage their forest resources sustainably.