Cong to launch campaign on implementation of Forest Rights Act

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi is set to launch an agitation on the issue of proper implementation of the Forest Rights Act.
Gandhi will address the first such state-level convention on the issue in Andhra Pradesh next month, Congress spokesman Jairam Ramesh told reporters.
"After the land acquisition campaign, the next big political mobilisation for the Congress will be on the Forest Rights Act," he said, adding that Gandhi is back from his foreign visit.
After the meet in Andhra, Gandhi would take up the matter at similar conventions in Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra.
A former Union Minister, Ramesh said Gandhi would also be visiting Odisha, Jharkhand, Telangana as part of the campaign.

Ramesh, a former Environment Minister, was sharply critical of the Modi government for going ahead with projects in the countryside, including that of mining, without taking the Gram Sabhas' consent.
He said a public interest litigation is also being planned in the matter.
Gandhi had led the Congress campaign on the land acquisition issue, which prompted the government to shelve certain "anti-farmer" changes.