PM-JUGA: Support to states and gram sabhas for the FRA implementation and preparation and execution of CFR management plan

By Dr. Manohar Chauhan*

(Over the period, under 275(1), Ministry of Tribal Affairs has provided fund to the states for FRA implementation. Besides, some states like Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra allocated special fund for FRA implementation. Now PM-JUDA under “Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan(DAJGUA) lunched by Prime Minister on 2nd October 2024 will not only be the major source of funding from MoTA to the States/UTs, but also will be the major support to the Gram sabha for the preparation and execution of CFR management Plan).

About the PM-JUGA

Pradhan Mantri-Janajatiya Unnat Gram Abhiyan (PM-JUGA) under “Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan (DAJGUA) is the mission to support States for the implementation of FRA, 2006. The mission is a 5 years 100% centrally sponsored scheme envisaged to extend financial support to the State governments for the implementation of FRA and support to the Gram Sabhas for the preparation and management of Community Forest Resource (CFR) Management Plan. The important heads under PM-JUGA for financial support to the States are; (i) development of State FRA Portal and its integration with the national FRA portal (30 Lakhs), (ii) for digitization of record, IFR, and CFR data including legacy data and claim process, for Mapping of Potential Forest Rights, (iii) Setting up of a FRA Cells at the State (Rs.2, 58, 5000) , District and a SDLC level(8, 67, 000).

Besides support to the State governments, PM-JUGA Mission has also provision of financial support to the selective Gram sabhas (1000 in the 2024-25) for the Execution of the CFR management Plan. Rs.15, 00, 000 will be provided to a gram sabha for one year for the treatment and execution of CFR management plan of 100 hectares. To help the gram sabhas in the preparation of its CFR management plan, PM-JUGA has also provision of Rs.1 lakh support to the facilitating /Technical agency/ NGOs. At best, one NGO/agency will be given support for 15 villages. These agencies will be responsible for the capacity building of Gram Sabha, for forest land survey, for resource mapping (management of MFPs), biodiversity mapping, and technical handholding support to the CFR MC etc.

PM JUGA is also considered to be the extension of PM-JANMAN programme and expansion the CFR Management Guidelines issued by MoTA last 12th on Sept, 2023 by including Gram Sabha as “the Primary Implementing Agency(PIA) for the execution of CFR management plan and by prescribing detailed format for the preparation of CFR management Plan. However, respective states and Gram sabhas shall have the discretion to revise the prescribed format as per the need and available forest resources. Thus the PM JUGA Mission aims to streamline and saturate forest rights recognition process, to meet the fund need, to capacitate various stakeholders, and to strengthen institutional mechanisms etc.

Initially, the PM –JUGA Mission will be for 5 years and likely to be further extended. The PM-JUGA guidelines has also provided detailed process for the approval of CFR management plan from the gram sabha to district, district to state and state to the central Govt. For the approval of CFR management plan, the state government will have “State Level Executive Committee headed by the Chief Secretary” and Ministry of tribal affairs will have “Project Appraisal Committee (PAC)”. The Ministry of Tribal Affairs at the Centre, the State Tribal Welfare/ Development Department at the State and the District Collector/District Magistrate or PO ITDA (as decided by the State Govt.) will be responsible for overall implementation and monitoring of the PM-JUGA scheme. To monitor the overall implementation and progress of the mission, a digital monitoring framework will be set up. The physical and financial progress will be updated and monitored by MoTA and State through PM-Gatishakti Portal.

PM-JUGA has been considered as a progressive schemes by transferring fund directly to the bank account of concern Gram Sabha, for preparation of Village Development Plan/CFR management Plan by the Gram sabha and making the Gram Sabha as the PIA for the execution and spending the fund bypassing Gram Panchayat and However, PM-JUGA has also been criticized for prescribing extra exceptive committee at the state level bypassing the statutory provisions and for overemphasizing the role of CSO/Technical agencies at different level and for preparations of CFR management plan bypassing the authority and wisdom of gram sabhas as provided under the Act and Rules.

Role of State Government and Facilitating CSO for the effective implementation of PM-JUGA

The PM-JUGA Guidelines has been issued and shared with the State governments in Sept-Oct, 2024. Besides, review meetings have been conducted by MoTA with the states to guide on the PM-JUGA schemes. However, there is no remarkable initiatives taken by the state governments till date. Under the PM-JUGA, states government are supposed to prepare “State Proposal” and submit it before MoTA. As the MoTA has asked and has committed to support preparation and execution of 200 CFR management plans in a state, and such support will be extended to villages which has got CFRR titles under Section 3(1) (i) of FRA and in Annexure-IV of the Forest Rights Rules, the state governments need to enlist and identify such eligible 200 villages and submit in their proposals. Besides, the State governments are to onboard more than one technical agencies from diversified subjects at the state level and technical and facilitating agencies/NGOs working on FRA and MGNREGA at the block and district levels. For this, the State governments have to prepare criteria for the selection of such NGOs to onboard. This will be followed by rigorous training of the concern NGOs by the State level Technical Agencies/ NGOs, members of the CFR Management committees for the preparation of CFR management Plans. Looking to the mess created and issues in the recognition of CFR rights in different states, the FRA SLMC should work to issue CFRR rights in Annexure-IV so that financial support under PM-JUGA can be availed by the gram sabha. Thus, it is the duty of the nodal tribal department of state governments to organize awareness programme on PM JUGA.

Besides, the concerned and active CSOs working on forest rights act in different States are suggested to coordinate with the State governments and district administration and should organise awareness programmes side by side on PM-JUGA and should to make the gram sabha members and local CSOs aware on the Mission.

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*Expert on Forest Rights Act, presently working with the Foundation of Ecological Security (FES), Anand, Gujarat

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