According to "Forest Rights Act, 2006" Forest Rights Committee responsible for protecting the forest is constituted by:

Question

Accepted Answer

The correct option is 4:
The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 (FRA), is a landmark piece of legislation that legally recognizes the rights of forest-dwelling communities. Critically, the Act empowers the local community to manage and protect the forest resources. The Forest Rights Committee, which is responsible for initiating the process of determining the nature and extent of individual or community forest rights, as well as protecting the forest, must be constituted by the Gram Sabha. The Gram Sabha, which is the village assembly of all adult residents in a Panchayat area, is explicitly designated as the primary authority under the FRA. This decentralization ensures that decision-making power rests with the people who have a traditional and sustainable relationship with the forest.

The incorrect option is 1:
The District Development Council (DDC) operates at the district level and oversees overall development planning and governance. While the FRA process involves committees at the Sub-Divisional and District levels (Sub-Divisional Level Committee and District Level Committee), the initial and most fundamental authority for constituting the Forest Rights Committee and recognizing rights rests at the village level, specifically with the Gram Sabha. The DDC’s role is primarily supervisory and appellate in the context of the FRA, not foundational.

The incorrect option is 2:
The State Government is responsible for implementing the Forest Rights Act within the state, which includes issuing necessary rules and guidelines. However, the State Government does not directly constitute the local-level Forest Rights Committee. The spirit of the FRA is to shift power from the centralized state bureaucracy to the local self-governing body (Gram Sabha). If the State Government were to directly constitute this committee, it would undermine the community-centric nature of the Act.

The incorrect option is 3:
The Central Government enacts the legislation, such as the Forest Rights Act, 2006, and frames national policies. It is the highest authority in the legislative and policy framework. However, the Central Government does not engage in the local, on-ground administrative function of constituting village-level committees. The role of constituting a committee responsible for protecting the forest, as mandated by the FRA, is deliberately placed at the Gram Sabha level to ensure local accountability and democratic participation.