Over 6,000 villagers who lived devoid of essential government welfare schemes and developmental benefits for decades deep inside forests in Odisha’s Ganjam district are set to embrace a new life with the recognition of their villages as revenue villages under the Forest Right Act.
These people were part of 38 unsurveyed forest villages and for every small developmental activity, they required permission from the forest department. In the census report, these villages are identified as ‘Zero’ villages, but inhabited by people.
The Ganjam district magistrate recently notified the conversion of 38 unsurveyed villages into revenue villages after approval from Board of Revenue, Odisha. The notification says 13 villages each are in Sorada and Polasara tahsils, 7 villages in Dharakote tahsil and five villages in Kodala tahsil in Ganjam district from now will be identified as revenue villages.
