TRIBAL COMMUNITY SELLING FOREST PRODUCE THROUGH FOREST MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

Tribal community from Tirpemeta, Duwalgudra and Edmagondi villages of Chhattisgarh are selling forest produce through Forest Management Committee.

All the three villages comes under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006.

The Forest Rights Act (FRA) 2006 mandates individual and community rights to people for whom forest is the home and source of livelihood. Under the act, Forest Management Committee was constituted consisting of community members from these villages.

Tribal communities are now earning their livelihood by selling the forest produce especially Custard Apple to the FMC which is being transported to the big cities like Bhilai, Durg and Raipur. Apart from custard apple, committee will also market Blackberry, Tamrind, Mahua, Tendu leaf, Mayrobalan etc. People are relieved as they are getting fair price of the produce at their door step.

FMC has marketed around 187500 Kilogram of produce in the cities and gained Rs. 60,000 profit which will be used for the forest development and community work.

Through HamaraHaq project, the committee has taken various community awareness and livelihood measures. Committee is also responsible for the conservation and protection of forest. Every household guards the forest serially during the night to protect forest from tree cutting, illegal logging etc.

Symbolically the guards hold green colored bamboo stick as an identity of FMC.

Local implementing partner is giving close accompaniment to the community in items of strengthening the Gram Sabha and its effective functioning.