FOREST RIGHTS ACT

The Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs informed the Rajya Sabha about the implementation status of the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006. State Governments and UT Administrations are responsible for implementing the Act, while the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) compiles progress reports. The article provides statistics on individual and community claims filed, approved, and rejected between FY 2023-24 and FY 2025-26. It highlights that the FRA does not prescribe a time-limit for claim disposal and lists major reasons for claim rejections, such as non-occupation before December 13, 2005, duplicate claims, claims on non-forest land, and lack of evidence.