Hrusikesh Panda Named Tribal Affairs Ministry’s Expert Panel Chief

Bhubaneswar: Retired IAS officer from Odisha, Hrusikesh Panda will lead an expert panel constituted by the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA).

Panda, who hails from Bhadrak, has been appointed chairman of the expert committee which will look into the different aspects of the Forest Rights Act 2006. The Act aims to protect the rights of Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers.

The committee will submit its report, suggestive guidelines and recommendations to the Ministry of Tribal Affairs within three months, official sources said.

As per the terms of reference, the expert committee will take into account the provisions of the Forest Rights Rules and the guidelines issued in 2012 on the subject of Community Right.

The committee will also review and suggest detailed steps to be taken by the State governments in the form of guidelines to speed up the process of recognition of community rights in the country.

The Committee will specially focus on (a) Habitat Rights of PVTGs and (b) Seasonal Resource access to Nomadic and Pastoralist communities. These areas so far neglected with very little know how with the State governments about the processes to be adopted for recognition of these rights, read an offical release.