Industry Odisha Bureau, Oct 10: The Centre has sharpened its focus on lakhs of pending forest rights claims. The Ministry of Tribal Affairs held a regional review meet in Kolkata on October 9. It assessed progress under the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006, across eastern and central India. The law recognises the rights of tribal and traditional forest dwelling communities.
Officials from eight States joined the deliberations. These were West Bengal, Assam, Tripura, Jharkhand, Odisha, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Tribal Welfare, Revenue and Forest Department officials attended alongside Tribal Research Institutes. Collectors, Sub Collectors and ITDP/ITDA Project Officers from high pendency districts also took part.
Andhra Pradesh officials were invited to present the State’s best practices. These include digitising FRA titles and linking them with government records. The State has also connected titleholders with livelihood schemes and credit support.
This was the second such regional meet in a month. The first, for Southern States, was held in Bengaluru on September 10.
The Principal Secretary, Tribal Development Department, West Bengal, opened the proceedings. The official outlined the conference’s objectives and welcomed the delegates.
The Joint Secretary, MoTA, laid out the national picture in his keynote address. Over 54 lakh claims had been filed nationwide as of August 31. About 25 lakh titles have been distributed so far. Nearly 11 lakh claims remain pending at various stages. More than 18 lakh claims have been rejected. Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Assam carry a heavy share of the backlog. Much of it is concentrated in a few districts.
He set out the conference’s key priorities. These include speedy disposal of pending claims and a review of rejections under the law. States must also reconcile FRA data and digitise case records. Recognised rights are to be entered into revenue and forest records. Faster recognition of Community Forest Resource Rights is another focus area. So is securing habitat rights for Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs).
MoTA Secretary Ranjana Chopra delivered the special address. She said the Act places forest dwellers’ rights, dignity and aspirations at the centre. Such development, she noted, must be both inclusive and sustainable.
Chopra lauded Andhra Pradesh for digitising records of FRA titleholders. This has helped beneficiaries access post-claim support, she said. She also praised Odisha and Chhattisgarh for leading on PVTG habitat rights. She credited them with recognising the highest number of Individual Forest Rights claims.
Recognising community forest rights is not enough, the Secretary cautioned. Communities must also be equipped to exercise them. Gram Sabhas need help to draft and implement CFR management plans. She urged States to operationalise the joint advisory of MoTA and the Environment Ministry. It allows these plans to be aligned with Forest Department working plans. At the same time, Gram Sabhas retain central authority.
Funds for building Gram Sabha capacity are available under DA-JGUA, she added. She also sought PVTG-specific roadmaps for habitat rights. These must involve traditional institutions and Gram Sabhas of all villages concerned. Recognised rights must enter land records with accurate maps, Chopra stressed. Convergence with housing, livelihood and land-use schemes should become routine, she said.
The Director (FRA), MoTA, presented the national status and priority districts. She highlighted the June 24, 2026 advisory on updating revenue and forest records. She also referred to the January 5, 2026 guidelines on habitat rights. The financial support offered by MoTA to States was outlined as well.
States were asked to fix data mismatches and delays in monthly progress reports. They must also draw up action plans to strengthen Gram Sabhas. These plans should cover rights awareness, post-claim support and CFR management planning.
The Deputy Secretary (TRI & IT), MoTA, focused on digital governance. The official demonstrated the national FRA portal and its mobile app. These tools support digitisation, geospatial mapping and data driven decision-making. States were urged to link their existing FRA records to the portal through APIs.
