Mumbai, May 27 (PTI) Tribals in Maharashtra whose individual or community forest rights have been rejected by District Level Committees constituted under a special Act can now appeal against the decision, said a notification issued by Governor B S Koshyari on Wednesday.

The notification provides a relief to tribals whose individual or community forest rights have been rejected under the Forest Rights Act (FRA), a landmark legislation enacted by the Centre in 2006. The FRA seeks to restore rights of tribes living in forests for generations.

Also Read | Jharkhand BJP to Hold 1,000 Virtual Rallies to Mark One Year of Narendra Modi Govt 2.0 on May 30.

Appeals can be made by aggrieved tribals before Divisional Level Committees, it said.

The notification is a "very important" step "for providing justice to tribals whose individual forest right or community forest right have been rejected by the District Level Committees constituted under the FRA," according to a statement issued by the Raj Bhavan.

Also Read | India-China Border Standoff: Chinese Envoy Pitches For Dialogue, Says 'Differences Shouldn't Overshadow Relations'.

The new measure applies in the PESA (Panchayats Extension and Scheduled Areas) in Maharashtra and allows appeal provision against the decision of such panels, it said.

Divisional Level Committees under the chairmanship of Divisional Commissioners have been constituted to hear the appeals against the decision of the District Level Committees, the notification said.

"In case of order passed by District Level Committees before the commencement of the notification, the application for appeal shall be made within six months from the date of issue of the notification," it said.

In case of order passed by the District Level Committees after the commencement of the notification, application of appeal shall be made within a period of 90 days, the notification said.

"It was observed by the Governor that a large number of applications under the Act relating to record of rights are rejected by the District Level Committees," the statement said.

"However, there was no provision in the Act for appeal against the decision of District Level Committees. Therefore, this notification was issued for the benefit of thousands of tribals," the statement said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)