Bengaluru: Union Tribal Affairs Secretary Ranjana Chopra, a 1994-batch IAS officer of the Odisha cadre, has called on State governments to give greater attention to recognising Community Forest Rights (CFR) and Community Forest Resource Rights (CFRR) under the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006.
Chopra made the remarks at the first Regional Review Conference on the implementation of the Forest Rights Act held in Bengaluru on September 10. The conference brought together senior officials from the Tribal Welfare, Revenue and Forest Departments of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana.
She said, “Recognition of rights must translate into tenure security, sustainable livelihoods and convergence with development schemes, leading to the empowerment of tribal communities.”
Community Rights and Gram Sabha Governance
Chopra highlighted the potential of community rights to strengthen local forest governance and community-based livelihoods.
She said Community Forest Rights and Community Forest Resource Rights have the “potential to strengthen Gram Sabha-led forest governance and community-based livelihoods.”
The Secretary also referred to a recent joint advisory issued by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on integrating Community Forest Resource Management Plans with Forest Department working and management plans.
Focus on PVTG Habitat Rights
The conference also discussed recognition of Habitat Rights of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs).
Chopra said, “Habitat rights of PVTGs embody living systems of culture, livelihood and traditional knowledge,” and stressed that their recognition should be carried out with sensitivity and active community participation.
The Ministry of Tribal Affairs said the southern States were asked to prioritise:
- Time-bound disposal of pending FRA claims.
- Recognition of Community Forest Resource Rights.
- Recognition of PVTG Habitat Rights.
- Incorporation of recognised forest rights into land records.
FRA Implementation and New Portal
According to the Ministry, more than 54 lakh Individual Forest Rights claims had been received nationally as of June 30, 2026. Around 25.42 lakh titles had been distributed over nearly 238 lakh acres, while more than 10 lakh claims remained pending. The ministry said 19,845 Community Forest Rights had been recognised.
Officials at the conference also discussed the need to digitise Forest Rights Act records. The Ministry introduced its National-level FRA Portal, which is currently under development, and urged States to integrate their existing FRA records with it through an application programming interface (API).
Context Around Gram Sabha Consent
The conference came amid a separate debate over the role of Gram Sabha consent in forest-land diversion. Recent reporting and statements from rights groups have criticised an August 31 communication from the Tribal Affairs Ministry that said the FRA has “no provision” for obtaining Gram Sabha consent for diversion of forest land.
The issue has drawn criticism from Adivasi and forest-dweller organisations, while the ministry’s latest conference remarks focused on strengthening recognition of community forest rights and Gram Sabha-led forest governance.
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