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Mendha-Lekha in Gadchiroli: India’s First Self-Governed Village with Legal Forest Rights

Mendha-Lekha in Gadchiroli: India’s First Self-Governed Village with Legal Forest Rights
Mendha-Lekha in Gadchiroli: India’s First Self-Governed Village with Legal Forest Rights

At the edge of the forests in Vidarbha’s Gadchiroli district, there is a village that follows its own rules. Mendha-Lekha, home to a few hundred people from the Gond tribal community, has charted a course that has rarely been seen elsewhere in India.


From managing forest resources to handling development funds and running village affairs, the community has built a system where everyone participates, and no external decision is accepted without consent.



People First, Forest Next


In the 1980s, Mendha-Lekha was faced with threats to its land and lifestyle. Proposals like a hydroelectric dam project were expected to displace its residents.


The villagers came together, rejected relocation, and turned their focus inward. They adopted a model based on community control. At the heart of this change was the gram sabha, where every adult has a voice and no decision is made unless everyone agrees.

The forest surrounding the village stretches across more than 1,800 hectares. In the past, state agencies and private contractors handled the forest. Villagers had no formal rights and were even punished for using resources they depended on.


In 1991, when contractors were permitted to harvest bamboo from the area, Mendha-Lekha resisted. The community stopped outsiders from entering the forest, protected the bamboo, and forced officials to accept their role in forest management.


Years later, a national law gave tribal communities the chance to claim legal control over their traditional forests.


Mendha-Lekha applied first and was the first to receive official rights. Since 2009, the community has harvested bamboo under its own authority.



It has set strict limits to ensure the forest remains intact. Villagers cut only mature bamboo and follow seasonal guidelines.


Bamboo is now the village’s biggest source of income. Each year, the community earns more than ₹1 crore through sales.

Everyone shares in the earnings. A portion is set aside for public needs, such as roads and water systems. In one season alone, a couple who worked in the bamboo harvest earned ₹40,000, which they used for their children’s education and home repairs.


The village has also reclaimed rights to collect and sell tendu leaves, commonly used in making beedis.


Instead of allowing contractors to dictate prices and methods, the community formed a cooperative. This ensured better wages and stopped harmful forest practices.

Mining was another area where Mendha-Lekha took a stand. The village restricted stone extraction and only allowed local women’s self-help groups to carry it out. They were limited to a few tractor loads per day. The profits were used to buy a tractor for the village, which is now shared among farmers.


Over time, the community expanded its focus beyond resource management. Renewable energy was introduced through biogas plants in many households. Clean cooking fuel from cattle dung replaced firewood, cutting down the need to cut trees. Water availability improved after the village built check-dams, ponds, and irrigation wells with their own funds.

Biodiversity conservation remains a priority. Villagers maintain a record of local plant and animal species and ban illegal hunting. Watering holes have been built in the forest for animals. Some areas are left untouched to allow wildlife to thrive. The community considers itself responsible for keeping the forest alive for future generations.



The Gram Sabha Governs the Village

Mendha-Lekha Gram Sabha
Mendha-Lekha Gram Sabha

No formal leader runs Mendha-Lekha. Instead, every adult is expected to participate in governing the village. The gram sabha makes decisions through consensus, not by majority vote. Even if one voice disagrees, the discussion continues until everyone is on the same page. Meetings are held regularly, often on full moon days.


This structure has been in place since the late 1980s, guided by local leader Devaji Tofa and social worker Mohan Hirabhai Hiralal.

The village has always insisted that any development plan, whether from the state or a private entity, must be approved by the gram sabha. No road is laid, no resource is touched, and no scheme is implemented unless the assembly allows it.


To manage funds, the villagers created the Mendha-Lekha Development Committee. It is registered legally and can receive government support directly. Members of the committee are locals, and meetings to discuss spending are held in the open. Government officials are now required to deal with this body if they want to work in the village.



Mendha-Lekha took the concept of community control further by pledging almost all privately held land to the gram sabha. In doing so, it fulfilled the conditions under the Maharashtra Gramdan Act of 1964, which allows a village to be recognised as a collective governing unit if most land is handed over to the community.

For years, the application was stuck in red tape. In 2024, the Maharashtra government finally issued a notification declaring Mendha-Lekha a panchayat under the Gramdan Act. This meant that the village could now legally function as a panchayat without elections since the gram sabha already represented everyone. The village can receive funds and handle state schemes directly.


The success of this model is reflected in village life. There is no visible poverty. Every household has a concrete roof, a gas connection or biogas unit, and access to clean water.


The school has full attendance, and students are supported if they wish to pursue higher education. Electricity has reached every home, and migration for work has stopped.

The gram sabha also has a registered tax number and pays sales tax on bamboo sales.


Mendha-Lekha is possibly the only village where the local assembly files and pays taxes as a business entity. This has helped build trust with government departments and opened up more avenues for financial support.


Learning, Working, and Living Together


Mendha-Lekha has stayed united because of its approach to collective living. The social structure is flat, with no emphasis on caste or status.


The community makes decisions together and works together. During farming seasons, all families sow and harvest together. The crop is shared, so nobody is left behind.

A unique feature of the village is the study circle. Experts are invited to speak about laws, rights, agriculture, and development. The idea is to learn without giving up the authority to decide. External opinions are welcomed, but the final decision always rests with the community.


Skill-building is also a focus. Young villagers are trained to craft furniture and other products from bamboo. There are discussions underway to open a processing centre in the village. This would allow them to sell finished goods and not just raw bamboo. It would also create steady jobs.



The income from resources is used to fund shared needs. Solar lighting, water pipelines, school upgrades, and even healthcare support are all financed by the community’s share of profits.

If someone falls sick or a child wants to go to college, the gram sabha steps in.

Mendha-Lekha has avoided becoming dependent on outside help. Villagers say they no longer wait for government programmes. If a need arises, they gather, discuss, and find a way to solve it themselves. This includes small issues like fixing broken taps or large plans like building roads.


The village has developed systems to resolve disputes, handle infrastructure projects, and enforce rules. People who break forest conservation rules are fined. Alcohol is discouraged through social agreement. Respect for elders is strong, but decisions are not made by them alone.


Devaji Tofa, who has been central to this journey, is now preparing others to take his place. Youth are being encouraged to learn the ropes of governance. The gram sabha continues to attract visitors from across the country, including other villages looking to learn from their methods.



Recognition and Future of Mendha-Lekha

Recognition and Future of Mendha-Lekha
Recognition and Future of Mendha-Lekha

Mendha-Lekha’s journey has been marked by formal recognition and informal admiration. It was the first village in India to receive community forest rights. Its bamboo auction system became an example for others. Its gram sabha-based governance has been studied by researchers and highlighted in policy reports.


Visitors include activists, government officials, journalists, and villagers from other parts of India. Delegations have come to understand how such a small village could gain so much control over its affairs.


The village is often cited in discussions about decentralisation, sustainable development, and forest rights.

Devaji Tofa has received honorary academic recognition for his role. Mohan Hirabhai Hiralal, who passed away in 2025, was also honoured during his lifetime. Both played important roles in helping the village achieve what it has today.


The recognition from the state in 2024 cemented what had long been true on the ground. Mendha-Lekha was already acting as a self-governing unit. Now, it holds the legal status of a panchayat, and this allows even more autonomy in planning and development.



The next steps are focused on improving livelihoods and preserving the model. A bamboo product unit is expected to begin operations. Organic farming techniques are being explored. The idea of hosting limited, respectful ecotourism is being considered.

Villagers remain clear that outside opportunities must not come at the cost of internal control. They are focused on preparing the next generation to manage the systems that have worked so far. With social unity, access to local resources, and a functioning governance system, Mendha-Lekha continues to operate in a way that few other villages have managed.


References




About the Author

The NewsDirt is a trusted source for authentic, ground-level journalism, highlighting the daily struggles, public issues, history, and local stories from Vidarbha’s cities, towns, and villages. Committed to amplifying voices often ignored by mainstream media, we bring you reliable, factual, and impactful reporting from Vidarbha’s grassroots.

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