Why Forest Rights Matters – The Origins and Promises of the Forest Rights Act

Описание: Why Forest Rights Matters – The Origins and Promises of the Forest Rights Act
Talk by C R Bijoy
Series: Forest, State, People -Part 1

Why does the Forest Rights Act matter? Who really owns the forest — the State or the people?

In this opening episode of Forest, State, People, C R Bijoy traces the historical emergence of the Forest Rights Act (FRA). Beginning with colonial forest control, the Supreme Court’s intervention in the Godavarman case, and the large-scale evictions of forest dwellers, this talk examines the long struggle of Adivasi and forest communities for justice.

The Forest Rights Act emerged not as charity, but as resistance — inspired by the spirit of PESA and the idea that power must rest with the Gram Sabha.
This is a talk about:
The Godavarman case and eviction crisis
Forest dwellers’ protests
Campaign for Survival and Dignity
Decolonising forest governance
Community control over forests
The role of Gram Sabha in forest protection and management
The Forest Rights Act represents a historic shift from bureaucratic control to community stewardship.

About the Speaker

C R Bijoy engages at multiple levels on issues of democracy, governance, and resource conflicts and rights. He was part of:
The National Front for Tribal Self Rule (leading to the PESA Act, 1996)
The Campaign for Survival and Dignity (which led to the Forest Rights Act)
Adivasi-Dalit Samsara Samithy (Kudil Ketti Samaram)
Plachimada Samara Samithy
Adivasi Gothra Mahasabha
His work centres on participatory democracy, people's power, and resource justice.
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Producer: A K Shiburaj
Camera, Edit: Sikhildas

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