Centre urges states to clear Forest Rights Act backlog; 85% claims pending, Pg6.

Key Highlights:

• The Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) has urged states and UTs to clear the backlog of pending claims under the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006.
• Approximately 15% of forest and community land claims are still pending.
• As of June 1, 49.02% of over 51.23 lakh individual and community claims have been distributed across 20 states and the UT of J&K.
• Telangana, Odisha, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Assam, Karnataka, and Jharkhand account for the majority of pending claims.

Detailed Insights:

• The ministry has also asked states to review the progress of FRA implementation under the Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan (DA-JGUA), a tribal welfare scheme.
• Telangana has the highest pendency with 3.29 lakh claims, followed by Odisha with 1.20 lakh claims.
• Goa and Himachal Pradesh reported the highest pendency in proportion to total claims, at 87% and 84.5%, respectively.
• The ministry's appeal followed discussions during the national conference on the Adi Karmayogi Abhiyan (AKA), which focuses on tribal development and implementation of key laws.
• Community Forest Resource Rights (CFRR), which allow communities to manage and protect forests, are often neglected in many states.
• Interventions under DA-JGUA include setting up FRA cells, mapping potential forest areas, and creating FRA portals.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006: An act to recognize and vest the forest rights and occupation in forest land in forest dwelling Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers.
• Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan (DA-JGUA): A flagship tribal welfare scheme rolled out to improve tribal livelihoods.
• Community Forest Resource Rights (CFRR): Rights that allow communities to manage, protect, conserve, and regenerate forests.