Forest Rights Act

Wildlife clearance not required for basic public facilities, MoTA clarifies

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) has written to the environment ministry clarifying that wildlife clearance is not automatically required for constructing essential public facilities such as schools, anganwadis and roads on forest land under the Forest Rights Act (FRA)- 2006, provided they are recommended by the Gram Sabha. In an office memorandum issued on July 2, MoTA offered a detailed clarification on Section 3(2) of the FRA, which allows diversion of forest land for basic facilities such as schools, roads, health centres and irrigation projects for the benefit of forest-dwelling Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (OTFDs). "Section 3(2) of the FRA states that, notwithstanding anything contained in the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, the Central government shall provide for diversion of forest land for facilities (including schools, health centers, roads, etc)... on forest land. The clearance of such a developmental project shall be subject to the ...

Environment ministry rejects FRA subversion charge, says facts twisted

The Environment Ministry has strongly rejected allegations by forest rights groups that it is attempting to "subvert" the Forest Rights Act (FRA), calling them a "gross misunderstanding of facts" and asserting that it remains committed to both environmental protection and the welfare of forest-dependent communities. In a recent letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, more than 90 forest rights organisations had accused the ministry of trying to undermine the FRA and demanded that Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav clarify his reported statement that the "FRA leads to forest degradation". The groups said the minister's remarks, published in a newspaper article on June 5, were "false, misleading, legally untenable and an attempt to undermine the legitimacy of the FRA". Responding to the criticism, the ministry said in a statement: "The reference in social media to a letter alleging 'Subversion of the Forest Rights Act' reflects a gross misunderstanding of facts. MOEFCC remains ...

Rights groups alarmed over Himachal forest official's letter on FRA

Several tribal and forest rights organisations in Himachal Pradesh have written to the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, objecting to a letter issued by the state's Principal Chief Conservator of Forests which, they claim, misinterprets the Forest Rights Act (FRA) and could harm the recognition of rightful forest dwellers. The Forest Rights Act, 2006, recognises the rights of tribal and forest-dependent communities over the land they have lived on and protected for generations. However, its implementation has been marked by violations, with a large number of claims wrongly rejected. The groups, which include Himdhara Collective, Himalaya Niti Abhiyan, Van Adhikar Manch and others, said the forest department's letter, dated April 11 and addressed to all deputy commissioners and forest officers in the state, goes beyond its authority. They demanded immediate withdrawal of the forest department's letter and called for a trust-building process. Calling the letter "an unnecessary and unwarran

States asked to map forests, create atlas for FRA implementation: Centre

The minister also informed that a total of 25,03,453 titles have been distributed so far since the implementation of the FRA began, while 7,45,649 claims are pending

Forests rights key issue in 103 BJP represented seats: Vasundhara report

BJP MPs represent 103 of the 153 Lok Sabha seats in the country where the implementation of the Forest Rights Act 2006 is a major issue, according to a recent report. The Congress, which enacted the FRA, and the Biju Janata Dal represent 11 seats each, Shiv Sena 6, Telangana Rashtra Samithi and YSRCP 5 each, and the National Congress Party 4, the analysis by independent organisation Vasundhara found. Considered a milestone in redressing the historical injustice done to Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers, the Forest Rights Act 2006 aims to recognise forest rights of such communities living in forests for generations. According to the analysis, there are 86 Lok Sabha seats where people demanding forest rights account for over 30 per cent of the electorate. Similarly, there are 45 seats where FRA eligible voters comprise over 40 per cent of the electorate. These include the Khunti Lok Sabha seat where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has repeated Tribal Affairs ...

Reserve forest: Govt allows delay in notification of compensatory land

Environmentalists say the move could vitiate the intent of Forest (Conservation) Rules, which require state governments to certify that compensatory afforestation land is available

Vulnerable 'Kamar' tribe in Chhattisgarh's Dhamtari gets habitat rights

The 'Kamar' tribe in Chhattisgarh's Dhamtari district, which is a particularly vulnerable tribal group (PVTG), has received habitat rights, which would help in the protection of their culture and livelihood means and enable the government to work for their development, officials said on Thursday. Kamar is the first PVTG in the state to get such status, they claimed. The Kamar tribe families living in 22 settlements in Magarlod development block of Dhamtari district will be benefited by the move. Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel handed over the habitat rights certificates to heads of these 22 settlements on Wednesday, on the occasion of the World Tribal Day. The Kamar tribe members mainly reside in Gariaband, Dhamtari, Mahasamund and Kanker districts. Their population as per the 2011 census was 26,630, Chhattisgarh's Scheduled Tribe and Scheduled Caste development department commissioner Shammi Abidi told PTI. The recognition of habitat rights under the Forest Rights Act (FRA) would n

Harsh Chouhan resigns as NCST chairman eight months before end of term

Harsh Chouhan's resignation comes after a run-in with the environment ministry over the Forest Conservation Rules 2022, which he said violated the Forest Rights Act, 2006

Issue of FCA, FRA clearances to be taken up with Union govt: Himachal CM

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Tuesday said his government would take up with the Centre the issue of delay in obtaining Forest Conservation Act (FCA) and Forests Rights Act( FRA) clearances so that developmental projects in the state do not get delayed. Presiding over a forest department meeting here on Tuesday, he said the state government is committed to maintain a balance between development and environment. But development projects of utmost importance like heliports, electric vehicle charging stations and day-boarding schools are affected by the delay in getting FCA and FRA approvals, a statement issued here said. Directing the forest officers to expedite FCA and FRA cases, he said officers will also be held accountable for delays. Earlier, presiding over the 11th meeting of the Himachal Pradesh State Board for Wildlife, Sukhu urged the department to explore tourism potential of activities like water sports and hot air balloon operations in Pong Dam

Repeated amendments to land diversion laws threatening forests, people

There are no guidelines for what kinds of forests should be nurtured on land taken up for compensatory afforestation

Corona complexity

Set economic growth aside, intensify redistribution

These tribals were displaced from C'garh. Can they get land rights in AP?

At least 190,000 Adivasis have been forcefully evicted or displaced since 2005 without compensation or rehabilitation, according to six cases documented so far by Land Conflict Watch

Giving wildlife a fighting chance: The new face of conservation in India

Some of India's top wildlife biologists and ecologists believe that the Forest Rights Act gives both tribals and wildlife a fighting chance

Threat of forced eviction of tribals and forest-dwellers still looms large

Eviction of a few lakh families, instead of millions, is not an option the government should be willing to argue before the SC

Modi govt's move to amend Forest Act takes a giant leap backwards

The IFA 2019 legally provides the political executive and the forest bureaucracy absolute discretion to open any forestland to commercial plantations

SC to hear fresh plea for not evicting forest dwellers, to set up an SIT

In the fresh petition, filed through lawyer M L Sharma, Larka has alleged that authorities in Tamnar of Raigarh district of Chhattisgarh have forcibly grabbed a large area of tribal land

Here's why the Forest Rights Act was never implemented efficiently

A detailed analysis by Land Conflict Watch lists the impediments states put in forms of additional conditions and regulations to deny claimants their legitimate rights

Stay on forest dwellers eviction: How states illegally rejected land claims

On February 13, 2019, the SC ordered that all households whose rights claims under FRA have been rejected should be evicted from forests by July 2019. It later stayed its own order on February 28

Supreme Court stays Feb 13 order to evict nearly 1.89 million tribals

Top court gives states four months to file detailed affidavit, slams Centre for "being in slumber" over the years

Centre seeks temporary stay on eviction of 1.89 mn forest-dwelling families

Asks time for states to file detailed affidavits on implementation of Forest Rights Act; case will be heard on Thursday