Over 6,000 villagers who have been living deep inside forests in Odisha’s Ganjam district for decades without access to essential government welfare schemes and developmental benefits are about to embark on a new life with the recognition of their villages as revenue villages under the Forest Right Act.
These people lived in 38 unsurveyed forest villages and any small development activity required authorization from the forest authority. These villages are designated as ‘Zero’ villages in the census report, yet they are inhabited by people.
Following approval from the Odisha Board of Revenue, the Ganjam district magistrate recently notified the conversion of 38 unsurveyed villages into revenue villages. According to the announcement, 13 villages in Sorada and Polasara tahsils, 7 villages in Dharakote tahsil, and five villages in Kodala tahsil in Ganjam district would be designated as revenue villages among others.
