09.09.24

Recognising Indigenous Land Rights: Community Forest Resource Titles Distributed in Jharkhand

At the Jharkhand Adivasi Mahotsav in Ranchi, the Honourable Chief Minister, Shri Hemant Soren, and Honourable Governor, Shri Santosh Gangwar, presented four symbolic CFRR titles to representatives from Simdega, Gumla, Sahibganj, and Bokaro districts. The remaining titles will be distributed at the district level, ensuring that Indigenous and forest-dependent communities gain formal recognition of their traditional land rights.

These milestones reflect the ongoing progress under the broader ABAD Abhiyan.

As part of the Abua Bir Abua Dishom (ABAD) Abhiyan (meaning ‘Our Forest, Our Country’), the Government of Jharkhand has taken a significant step towards recognising the land rights of Indigenous communities. In a landmark initiative, 257 Community Forest Resource Rights (CFRR) titles were awarded across 13 districts, covering 73,583 acres of forest land. This achievement strengthens community land tenure under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006—commonly known as the Forest Rights Act (FRA).

The Abua Bir Abua Dishom (ABAD) Abhiyan

Launched on 6 November 2023 by the Honourable Chief Minister, the ABAD Abhiyan aims to accelerate the processing of pending and new land claims under the FRA. The initiative utilises the JharFRA mobile application to streamline claim submissions and ensure faster resolutions.

The campaign is supported by key knowledge and technology partners:

• Foundation of Ecological Security (FES);

• Partnering Hope into Action (PHIA) Foundation; and

• The Initiative on the Forest Economy (IoFE), Indian School of Business (ISB).

A state-level FRA Cell has been established to coordinate these efforts, with representatives from all three organisations working to enhance policy implementation, community outreach, and data-driven decision making.

With formal recognition of CFRR, Indigenous communities will now have the legal authority to govern, protect, and sustainably manage their forests. This initiative not only offers security of tenure but also strengthens economic resilience and environmental conservation. The ABAD Abhiyan continues to advance land rights, ensuring that more forest-dependent communities benefit from secure resource ownership and the ability to define their own development pathways.

This initiative represents a shift towards empowering Indigenous communities as stewards of forest ecosystems and key decision-makers in land governance.