Second Regional Review Conference on Implementation of Forest Rights Act Held in Kolkata

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA), Government of India, organized the second regional review conference on the implementation of the 'Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006' (FRA) on October 9, 2026, in Kolkata, West Bengal. The conference was attended by senior officials from West Bengal, Assam, Tripura, Jharkhand, Odisha, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh, as well as representatives from revenue and forest departments and tribal research institutes. Additionally, officials from Andhra Pradesh were invited to share best practices regarding digitalization and the integration of livelihood schemes.

During the conference, the Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs stated that as of August 31, 2026, more than 54 lakh claims had been received at the national level, of which approximately 25 lakh title deeds have been distributed. However, about 11 lakh claims remain pending, and more than 18 lakh claims have been rejected. He expressed particular concern over the high number of pending claims in certain districts of Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Assam.

In her address, the Secretary of the Ministry stated that the FRA places the rights and dignity of forest-dwelling communities at the center of development. She praised Odisha and Chhattisgarh for their leading role in the recognition of IFR claims and acknowledged the experience of Andhra Pradesh in record creation. The Secretary emphasized that Gram Sabhas should receive support in preparing Community Forest Resource management plans and that states must adhere to the joint advisory issued by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. She called for the preparation of a detailed roadmap for the housing rights of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) and the inclusion of recognized rights in revenue and forest records with accurate maps.

The conference also discussed the digitalization of FRA records. The Deputy Secretary of the Ministry demonstrated a national-level FRA portal and mobile app, which will be useful for geospatial integration and decision-support systems. States were urged to integrate their existing records via APIs.

The Director of FRA presented a national landscape of states and districts with high pendency and highlighted the importance of the guidelines dated January 5, 2026, and the advisory dated June 24, 2026. States were directed to prepare a time-bound district-wise action plan to increase awareness of FRA rights and to strengthen Gram Sabhas for the preparation of CFR management plans.