- The Act recognises and vests forest rights and occupation of forest land with Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers.
- These rights include the right to collect and sell minor forest produce and the right to live in the forest land for habitation or self-cultivation for livelihood, etc.
- The amending Rules introduce the process to be followed by the Gram Sabha and district level committee, the process for the recognition of rights and amends certain definitions.
- Some of the key amendments include:
- The Gram Sabha shall monitor the committee constituted for the protection of wildlife, forest and biodiversity.
- It has to approve all decisions of the committee pertaining to the issue of transit permits to transport minor forest produce, use of income from sale of produce, or modification of management plans.
- The collection of minor forest produce is to be free of all fees.
- The committee has to prepare a conservation and management plan for community forest resources.
- The Forest Rights Committee (FRC) of the GramSabha shall not reexamine recognised forest rights or interfere in the verification of claims that are pending.
- The number of Scheduled Tribes represented on the FRC has increased from one-third to two-thirds.
- The quorum of the Gram Sabha meeting has been decreased from two thirds to one-half of the members,At least one-third of the members present shall be women While passing a resolution regarding the claims of forest rights, atleast 50 percent of the claimants to forest rights or their representatives should be present.
- Following monitoring committees are formed.
- District level committee
- State level monitoring committee
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