The Sentiment That the Government Stands with Forest Dwellers Must Reach Every Citizen
Make All Necessary Arrangements for the Welfare of Vanwasis Enhance the Cash Income of Tribal Brothers and Sisters Through Milk Production
Government to Empower Gram Sabhas with the Right to Appoint PESA Mobilisers
CM Directs Effective Implementation of Forest Rights and PESA Act in State Lavel Sheersh Samiti’s First Meeting
Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav emphasised that the bond of care and support should never be one-sided. He said the message that the government stands firmly with forest dwellers must be conveyed with full sincerity. He instructed officials to connect all forest-dwelling families with government schemes and work toward bringing development into their lives. CM Dr. Yadav, speaking at the meeting of the Apex Committee and Executive Committee of the State-Level Task Force on the implementation of the Forest Rights Act and PESA Act, held at Samatva Bhavan (CM’s residence), made several key announcements and directives.
CM Dr. Yadav directed that social conventions be organized for tribal youth who are studying or working. These events will help the government gather feedback on benefit delivery and ensure schemes reach those still in need. He instructed senior officials of the Tribal Welfare and Forest Departments to expedite the disposal of individual and community claims under the Forest Rights Act to achieve zero pendency by Dec 31, 2025. The CM announced that Gram Sabhas will now have the authority to appoint and remove PESA Mobilisers based on their performance. This will foster accountability and allow communities to directly oversee mobiliser effectiveness.
CM Dr. Yadav directed the Forest Department field for strict action against new encroachments. He instructed that staff must ensure that no new encroachments take place on forest land under any circumstances. CM Dr. Yadav recommended a similar coordinated model inspired by Maharashtra’s “Jalyukt-Shivar” campaign for Madhya Pradesh. He urged a thorough study of best practices from other states to adopt the most effective model.
The CM directed that provisions for implementing the Forest Rights Act and PESA Act be included in all MLA-submitted constituency Vision Documents. He said that state government has been paying special emphasis on constructing roads to particularly backward tribal habitations and empowering PESA Gram Sabhas to spend funds under the Gram Panchayat Development Plan.
Former MLA and Task Force member Shri Bhagat Singh Netam shared that in Balaghat district, the police department has set up Single-Window Help Centres at all outposts to assist tribals in filing claims under the Forest Rights Act. So far, 450 claims have been submitted through this initiative. CM Dr. Yadav appreciated the model and directed that the Balaghat Model be shared with collectors of all 88 tribal development blocks in the state for replication.
Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav reaffirmed the government’s deep commitment to protecting the rights and improving the lives of the state’s Vanwasi and tribal communities. He instructed, Development Proposals for all Forest Villages must be prepared with an action plan. All claims must be filed and resolved by December 31, 2025. Forest officer training should be completed by August 15. If technical challenges arise, the Forest and Tribal Welfare Departments may jointly develop a new dedicated portal to streamline the process.
Activate Forest Area Development Centres Further for Tribal Empowerment
Chief Minister Dr. Yadav has stressed the need to make Forest and Forest Area Development Centres more dynamic to support tribal welfare. He called for the integration of tribal traditional knowledge into policy formulation and emphasized the empowerment of ‘Gram Sabhas’ for community forest resource management, biodiversity conservation, and equitable distribution of forest resources. He said these centres should also play a key role in forest research, training, market linkages, and the coordination of financial resources such as CSR and CAMPA funds.
Focus on Community Livelihoods
CM Dr. Yadav underlined livelihoods as a top priority and urged that tribal communities be encouraged to take up dairy production to enhance cash income. He directed that they be provided milch animals (especially cows and buffaloes) under government schemes to make them economically self-reliant. He also emphacised linking them with employment-oriented schemes of the Grameen and Kuteer Udyog Department. The CM said they must receive a significant share of profits from collection, processing, and marketing activities, since tribals rely heavily on minor forest produce (MFP). CM Dr. Yadav also emphasised on promoting medicinal plant cultivation to connect tribal products directly with markets. CM Dr. Yadav proposed setting up value addition centres for the sustainable livelihood of tribal communities, ensuring they don’t have to migrate for jobs and that local employment opportunities are created, especially for youth. The CM directed that tribals be encouraged to grow Shree Anna (millets) and be supported with market linkages for millet-based products such as biscuits, cookies, porridge, and sweets. He noted the growing consumption of Kodo-Kutki as fasting food (like Mor Dhan), which would help increase millet demand. CM Dr. Yadav called for a coordinated approach to achieve impactful results under the Forest Rights Act. He advocated for the convergent implementation of FRA, PESA, and Biodiversity Act (BDA) at the Gram Sabha level, making it the central decision-making body. All departmental schemes, he said, should be routed through Gram Sabhas to ensure inclusive development and environmental sustainability. He urged a collaborative framework involving Gram Sabhas, the Forest Department, and investors, to ensure transparent processes and direct benefits to tribal communities. Committee members presented factual suggestions to improve on-ground implementation of FRA and PESA.
Over 2.89 Lakh Forest Rights Claims Approved So Far
In the meeting, the Principal Secretary of Tribal Affairs informed that from 2008 to 2023, a total of 2,89,461 forest rights claims have been approved across Madhya Pradesh. Efforts are currently underway to resolve the remaining pending claims. According to the Van Mitra Portal, claims that were previously approved by districts have been re-verified, and those found ineligible have been cancelled. As of now, 2,73,457 claims remain pending, which include 87,283 for re-examination and 1,86,224 newly submitted claims. The Principal Secretary added that in districts such as Barwani, Dhar, Khargone, Mandla, Betul, Chhindwara, Shahdol, Khandwa, Singrauli, Raisen, Dindori, Alirajpur, Burhanpur, Seoni, Umaria, and Balaghat, more than 7,000 forest rights claims have been approved in each district.
The First Apex Committee Meeting of the state level Task Force was attended by Dr. Kunwar Vijay Shah, Vice Chairman of the Committee and Minister for Tribal Affairs, Public Asset Management & Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief-Rehabilitation, Shri Dilip Ahirwar, Vice Chairman; Minister of State for Forest and Environment, Shri Anurag Jain, Chief Secretary and Ex-officio Secretary Member, Shri Gulshan Bamra, Principal Secretary, Tribal Affairs, Dr. Rajesh Rajora, Additional Chief Secretary, Chief Minister’s Office, Shri Ashok Barnwal, Additional Chief Secretary, Forest Department, Shri Vivek Porwal, Principal Secretary, Revenue Department, Shri Chhote Singh, Director, Panchayat and Rural Development, Shri Ram Dangore, Former MLA and Committee Member, Members of the Tribal Advisory Council: Dr. Rupnarayan Mandwe and Shri Kalu Singh Mujalda, Legal expert Dr. Milind Dandekar, Expert Member Shri Girish Kuber , Thematic Expert Shri Milind Thatte, Shri Laxman Singh Markam, Additional Secretary to the CM and Smt. Rita Singh, Additional Commissioner, Tribal Research and Development Institute along with other concerned senior officials
