Bhubaneswar: On the occasion of World Indigenous Peoples Day, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today launched the ‘Mo Jungle Jami Yojana’. The Chief Minister expressed hope that with cooperation from all, this scheme will create a milestone in the development of tribals.
The objective of the scheme is to ensure the rights of all eligible individuals and communities over forest land. Along with this, all development programs will be linked to this scheme and steps will be taken to create stability in the livelihood of the tribals. Hitherto not surveyed forest villages will be accorded the status of revenue villages.
Addressing the officials and tribal brothers and sisters present on the occasion, the Chief Minister said that our aim is to reach all the eligible beneficiaries in this scheme. He said that steps are being taken to ensure that no eligible person is left out.
Stating that this scheme is a good scheme, the Chief Minister said that the aim of this scheme is to recognize the contribution of tribals towards the continuous development of forest resources. He said that it will also help in bringing stability to climate change and the economy and livelihood of tribals.
Informing that Odisha is a front runner in providing forest land rights; the Chief Minister said that so far 4, 50,000 tribals and forest-dwelling families have been given forest land rights.
Similarly, more than 4000 Gram Sabhas have been given community rights. Along with this, the process to accord revenue village status to hitherto not surveyed forest villages is underway, he added.
The Chief Minister asserted that his government has been committed to the welfare of tribals since the beginning; he said that when his government first took charge to serve the people of Odisha in 2000, the first important decision of his government was to grant the right to collect minor forest produce to the panchayats. Today, a lot of work has been done in this direction. There has been remarkable progress among tribals in the sphere of education, health and various other fields; they have also earned recognition in various fields.
Minister of Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Caste Development Jagannath Saraka said that the aim of this scheme is to recognize the rights of tribals as managers of forest land. Steps have been taken to streamline the process and give rights to eligible persons within the specified time frame, he added.
Development Commissioner Anu Garg said that granting rights over forest land is a major achievement of the Odisha government. The new scheme provides for the inclusion of tribals in all development programmes along with the protection of their cultural diversity.
Among the various beneficiaries of the scheme, Kapur Marndi of Mayurbhanj, Narendra Mallik of Kandhamal and Suresh Chandra Wadaka of Rayagada, three major beneficiaries connected through video conferencing narrated their experiences to the Chief Minister. They expressed how they are able to engage in vegetable, fruit cultivation and other livelihood programmes by getting the right over the forest land to support their families and also educate their children.
Minister of Revenue and Disaster Management Pramila Mallik, Minister of Forest and Environment Pradeep Kumar Amat, Additional Chief Secretary Revenue Department Satyabrat Sahu, representatives of UNDP, non-government institutions Basundhara, Pradaan and tribal beneficiaries of various districts took part in the programme.
Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Scheduled Tribes and Caste Development Roopa Roshan Sahoo delivered the welcome address and the vote of thanks was delivered by Director, Scheduled Tribes Department, Indramani Tripathi.
