JharFRA Training under the Abua Bir Abua Dishom Abhiyan in Jharkhand
13.12.23
On 12 December 2023, a capacity-building programme for the JharFRA application (app) was launched under the Abua Bir Abua Dishom (ABAD) Abhiyan (meaning ‘Our Forest, Our Country’), which aims to strengthen the implementation of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006—commonly known as the Forest Rights Act (FRA). The programme was initiated by the State FRA Cell of the Government of Jharkhand.
About the Event
The programme aimed to promote the effective utilisation of the JharFRA app, which is designed to simplify, accelerate, and streamline the process of filing Individual Forest Rights (IFR) and Community Forest Resource Rights (CFRR) claims.
Aim
In a strategic partnership between the Government of Jharkhand and the Initiative on the Forest Economy (IoFE) at the Bharti Institute of Public Policy (BIPP), Indian School of Business (ISB), a comprehensive three-tier training framework has been conceptualised. Five representatives from each district in Jharkhand were designated as Master Trainers and underwent intensive training by state-level experts on the rules and intricacies of the FRA as well as on CFRR claim filing and title generation processes.
With support from the Shri Krishna Institute of Public Administration (SKIPA), Ranchi, and the Foundation for Ecological Security (FES), over 150 participants—including officials from the Departments of Forest, Environment & Climate Change and Revenue, Registration & Land Reforms, Public Policy in Action (PPIA) Fellows, e-District Managers, and members of various civil society organisations (CSOs)—have undergone the training.
Simultaneously, we spearheaded the training of 20 Technology Master Trainers, who are tasked with supporting Master Trainers in effectively utilising the JharFRA app and other digital tools within their respective districts. These Master and Technology Trainers have now commenced the training of Bir Bandhus (panchayat-level volunteers who assist forest-dependent communities in managing and protecting their forest rights), who will support Forest Rights Committees (FRCs) in generating CFRR title claims and conducting awareness camps on the FRA as well as on other welfare schemes under the Aapki Yojna, Aapki Sarkar, Aapke Dwar programme.
This comprehensive approach aims to expedite the resolution of pending IFR and CFRR claims while laying the groundwork for large-scale filing of new claims.