The Forest Rights Act at twenty

Sample articleIllustrative text, not published research

In December 2006 Parliament passed the Forest Rights Act. It set out to record rights that people living in India's forests had long exercised but the law had never written down: to the land they cultivate, to minor forest produce, and to protect and manage community forests.

“…resulting in historical injustice to the forest dwelling Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers…”

How claims are decided

A claim starts with the gram sabha, the village assembly, which verifies it and passes it to committees at the sub-division and district levels. The law gives the gram sabha the first word. In practice, forest and revenue officials on the higher committees have often decided the outcome.

What the record shows

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs publishes running totals of claims received, titles granted and claims rejected, state by state. The totals show a large share of claims rejected but say little about why. Community forest rights, which cover far larger areas than individual plots, have been recognised much more slowly in most states.

Following claims in Bastar

In Bastar, in southern Chhattisgarh, we follow claims from a set of villages through each stage, and compare what the files record with what residents say happened. Where the record is incomplete, we say so.