A dedicated Forest Rights Cell has been launched in Madikeri to streamline government welfare schemes and land rights provisions for tribal communities. Set up within the Zilla Panchayat office, the unit will operate under the Integrated Tribal Development Planning (ITDP) department and handle key responsibilities related to the Forest Rights Act (FRA).
S. Honnegowda, ITDP project coordinator, stated that the new cell will help ensure the effective delivery of benefits to forest-dwelling tribal populations. The initiative is supported by the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs and the Department of Scheduled Caste Welfare. Similar cells are also being established in other districts.
The cell will maintain digital records of all received and processed information, while also taking a fresh look at previously rejected FRA applications. According to Honnegowda, this re-evaluation could extend land rights to eligible individuals who were earlier denied recognition under the Act.
This year alone, 4,277 applications were submitted under the FRA in Kodagu district. While 2,430 of these were approved, 1,847 were rejected. The new cell’s review process aims to ensure that no genuine beneficiary is left out due to earlier oversights or technicalities.
Currently, a total of 31,967.8 acres has been allotted in the district for personal use and forest produce collection by recognised claimants under the Act. The cell will continue to support rightful claimants and improve access to tribal welfare schemes.