Mumbai: Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has directed that immediate steps be taken to grant community forest rights to all eligible villages in Maharashtra. Out of nearly 17,000 villages eligible for such rights, only about 5,000 have been granted them so far. Pawar instructed the Tribal Development Department and other concerned agencies to expedite action for the remaining villages and ensure that deprived tribal and economically weaker sections receive the benefits of all government schemes.
He was speaking at a review meeting held at Mantralaya regarding the effective implementation of the Forest Rights Act, 2006, and various tribal issues in Jalgaon, Dhule, and Nandurbar districts. The meeting was attended by Tribal Development Minister Ashok Uike, Agriculture Minister Dattatray Bharane, Sports and Youth Welfare Minister Manikrao Kokate, Cooperation Minister Babasaheb Patil, Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Makrand Patil, Minister of State Meghna Bordika, and senior officials from several departments.
Pawar directed that forest leaseholders should receive benefits equivalent to those provided to regular landholders, including crop loans, Gopinath Munde Accident Insurance Scheme, and inheritance benefits. He said that until Farmer ID cards are issued, beneficiaries should be allowed to access schemes using their Aadhaar cards.
He also suggested that heirs of deceased forest rights holders continue to receive benefits and that compensation be provided in case of crop loss. Necessary amendments to government resolutions should be made to facilitate this. Pawar further instructed that all forest leaseholders be allowed to join cooperative societies and access credit facilities.
Given the large tribal population — over nine lakh — in Jalgaon district outside the PESA region, Pawar suggested setting up a Sub-Project Office of the Tribal Development Department at Erandol, which serves as a central location for these areas.
He also directed that a proposal be sent to the Central Government by the first week of November for including 1,734 additional tribal-majority villages under the Panchayat (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA). Villages with over 50% tribal population but without forest land should also be included under PESA, he said.
Ensuring Housing and Development
Referring to the Prime Minister’s “Housing for All” initiative under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, Pawar emphasized that every eligible beneficiary must receive a house. He instructed that all urban and rural local bodies ensure effective implementation of the scheme and resolve land ownership issues preventing allotments.
The meeting also discussed establishing industrial clusters under the Maharashtra State Industrial Group Development Programme based on farm produce from forest rights holders, conducting a benchmark survey of the Bhil community, and operationalizing the MSEDCL substation at Karzane in Chopda taluka.
