User:Romabala/Adivasi

The Forest Rights Act Amendment of 2006
In 2006, an amendment to the Forest Conservation Act was introduced by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA), which is responsible for the welfare of tribal communities. The amendment, known as the Forest Rights Act, aimed to protect the rights of scheduled tribes and give them autonomy over forest access and the management of their land. Its goal was to promote sustainability and conservation while also empowering tribal villages. The Forest Rights Act (FRA) is an attempt to devolve power away from state bureaucracies to communities and mandates that communities cannot be displaced from protected areas (PAs) without due process and informed consent.

The Gram Sabha is a crucial entity within the FRA, empowering forest-dwellers to implement important provisions of the act such as the recognition of forest dwellers' rights and the protection of the forest ecosystem. The Gram Sabha is a legally recognized platform for local people to discuss and make decisions on matters related to the development of their village and the conservation of natural resources. It serves as a vital democratic institution for promoting grassroots participation and decentralizing decision-making for forest communities. The FRA constitutes a significant reform in India's forest governance, reflecting decades of advocacy by individuals and tribal groups to address the exploitation of forest dwellers