Weeks after the Chhattisgarh Forest Department stalled its own government’s efforts to empanel NGOs to help prepare and execute community forest resource (CFR) management plans as per a Central scheme’s guidelines, State authorities have written to the Union Tribal Affairs Ministry seeking guidance on what to do next.
“The Office of the Commissioner [of the Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes Welfare Department] has communicated the Forest Department’s arguments to the Centre and sought advice on the way forward. It is expected that the Tribal Welfare Department will also be writing to the Centre on this in a couple of days,” a Chhattisgarh government official told The Hindu on Wednesday (June 25, 2025).
CFR management plans are meant to be created by forest dwelling communities whose rights have been recognised under the Forest Rights Act, to outline how they will sustainably use forest resources in a way that supports livelihoods and conserves forests, benefiting the whole community. This tussle between Chhattisgarh departments seems to be part of a long-running battle over who controls forest resources — local tribal communities living in the forests or the Forest Department.
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