Forest Rights Act, 2006 (Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers Act)
The Forest Rights Act, 2006 (FRA) is one of the most significant post-independence legislation recognising the rights of forest-dwelling communities over forest land and resources. Enacted after decades of advocacy by tribal and forest communities, it sought to correct the "historical injustice" committed against these communities by colonial-era forest laws.
- The FRA recognises two primary categories of rights: (i) Individual Forest Rights (IFRs) — title rights to forest land being farmed or occupied as on December 13, 2005, up to 4 hectares per family; and (ii) Community Forest Resource Rights (CFRRs) — rights over forest areas traditionally used and managed by the community.
- Additional rights include: rights of habitation, grazing, access to water resources, community tenures of habitat for pastoral and nomadic communities, rights over minor forest produce, and the right to in situ rehabilitation in cases of illegal eviction.
- The FRA provides explicit protection against eviction: no forest-dwelling household can be evicted or displaced from forest land until (a) a claim under the Act has been disposed of; and (b) the eviction is approved by the Gram Sabha.
- The Gram Sabha is the apex body for FRA implementation at the village level — it receives, verifies, and endorses claims before they are processed at block and district levels. No eviction can occur without its involvement.
● Tracked since May 23, 2026 · last seen August 07, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
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