Community
Forest Rights
Protecting Land, Forest & Livelihood
CIRTD works with tribal communities to strengthen Community Forest Rights (CFR), Individual Forest Rights (IFR), participatory governance and sustainable management of natural resources.
156
CFR Trainees156
CFR Participants
25
Villages Covered
2100
IFR Claims
1467
Rights Approved
34
CFR Villages
260
Land Claims
People's Control Over Natural Resources
The majority of tribal communities in Sundargarh depend on forests, land, water and indigenous crops for their livelihoods. CIRTD works to strengthen community ownership, resource protection and sustainable management through participatory development.
Training programmes, village meetings and follow-up activities have enabled communities to understand the Forest Rights Act, strengthen Gram Sabha institutions and secure their traditional rights over forest resources.
Forest Rights & Community Empowerment
Building stronger tribal communities through legal awareness, community participation and sustainable forest governance.
Community Awareness
Regular village meetings encouraged communities to work collectively for protecting land, water and forests while strengthening their livelihood resource base.
Training on Community Forest Rights
Three rounds of Community Forest Rights training and follow-up meetings were conducted for 156 participants to improve their understanding of the Forest Rights Act.
Forest Village to Revenue Village
Training and orientation programmes were organised across 25 villages to facilitate the conversion of Forest Villages into Revenue Villages.
Forest Rights Claims
Communities were supported in preparing Community Forest Rights (CFR) claims, Individual Forest Rights (IFR) claims and self-declarations of community forest boundaries.
Individual Forest Rights (IFR)
CIRTD facilitated 2,100 Individual Forest Rights applications, of which 1,467 families received legal land rights under the Forest Rights Act. Additional appeals were also supported for deserving households.
Land Rights for Landless Families
Assistance was provided to 702 landless families for homestead land claims, while 179 agricultural labourers submitted applications for agricultural land.
Community Forest Rights
Communities from 34 villages identified and demarcated their traditional forest boundaries using GPS, strengthening community ownership and biodiversity conservation.
Natural Resource Management
Training programmes strengthened community capacity on watershed development, value addition to Non-Timber Forest Produce (NTFP), biodiversity conservation and sustainable forest management.
Community Leadership for Forest Protection
Balmati Gudia, a community volunteer and Forest Rights Committee member from Goelsukha village, mobilised her community to secure Community Forest Rights and protect traditional forest resources.
"Our community came together to identify our traditional forest boundaries, submitted Community Forest Rights claims, and passed a Gram Sabha resolution to protect our forest. No outside agency should undertake activities within our forest without community consent."
Balmati Gudia
Forest Rights Committee MemberStrengthening Local Self Governance
Empowering Gram Sabhas, Panchayati Raj Institutions and village leaders through awareness, participation and planning.
3514
Labourers mobilised under MGNREGS
2912
Active Job Cards
148
Families completed 100 workdays
32
Village Micro Plans
Participatory Micro Level Planning
Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) exercises were conducted in32 villages, enabling communities to identify local issues, prioritise development needs and prepare community-owned Micro Level Plans.
The planning process strengthened Gram Sabha participation and enhanced community ownership over development initiatives.
Strengthening Women as Decision Makers
Leadership Development
Women actively participated in Gram Sabha, village meetings and community decision-making.
Women Farmers
Training programmes enhanced women's confidence in organic farming, nutrition gardens, sustainable agriculture and livelihood generation.
Together We Can Protect Forests & Communities
Partner with CIRTD to strengthen forest rights, sustainable livelihoods, community governance and environmental conservation.
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