Gandhian and forest rights activist Mohan Hirabai Hiralal died at a hospital here on Thursday following a brief illness, family sources said.

He was 75.

Inspired by Vinoba Bhave and Jayaprakash Narayan, Hiralal played a major role in 'Our village - We are government' campaign in Mendha-Lekha village in eastern Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district.

Congress leader and former Union minister Jairam Ramesh paid tributes to Hiralal in a post on X.

"For four decades he worked tirelessly in Gadchiroli and Chandrapur districts of Maharashtra. His dedication paved the way for Medha Lekha to become the first Gram Sabha in the country on April 27, 2011, to get full control over all aspects of bamboo trade including harvesting and selling as part of the Community Forest Rights Act, 2006," Ramesh noted.

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