Hidayatullah National Law University, Raipur (HNLU) and the Foundation for Ecological Security (FES) jointly organized a two-day workshop on “Tribal Communities and Environmental Governance” on October 30-31, 2026. The aim of this workshop was to bring community experiences to the center of discussions related to law, policy, and conservation.
In his inaugural address, Vice Chancellor Prof. (Dr.) V. C. Vivekananda stated that forest protectors (tribal communities) cannot be marginalized in environmental governance; they must be included as key stakeholders. Satyajit Jena addressed the participants in the inaugural session, and Dean-Research Prof. Vishnu Konurayar presented the workshop outline. Earlier, co-convener Dr. Ayan Hazra welcomed everyone, and Satyavati also addressed the gathering. HNLU faculty member Ashutosh Ahire proposed the vote of thanks.
Satyawati and Dhaneshwari Sen shared community perspectives in the technical sessions of the two-day workshop. FES representatives Dr. Manjeet Bal Kaur and Shivam also contributed to the discussions. Sanjay Patnaik discussed environmental governance, while Satyajit Jena spoke on climate resilience. Prakhar Jain analyzed the PESA Act, and Ashwani Kange discussed the Forest Rights Act. Dr. Neeraj Dewangan advocated for promoting reciprocal learning between institutions and communities.
The organizing committee included Dr. Ayan Hazra, Dr. Rana Navneet Roy, Dr. Debmita Mandal, and Prof. Ashutosh Ahire. Pradeep Burman delivered the vote of thanks in the closing session. Prof. Deepak Srivastava, Registrar-in-Charge, addressed the closing ceremony.
The student organising committee comprised Agam Gupta, Sanya Purohit, Alice, Anshi, Liza, Deepak, Phanibhushan and Vidit Mathur.