The Ministry of Tribal Affairs convened a regional review conference on 9 October 2026 in Kolkata to assess how eight eastern and central states are implementing the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006. Senior officials from West Bengal, Assam, Tripura, Jharkhand, Odisha, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh attended, along with district collectors from areas with large backlogs of pending claims.
Key facts
- As of 31 August 2026, the nation received 54 lakh forest rights claims
- About 25 lakh titles have been distributed so far
- Approximately 11 lakh claims remain pending at various stages
- Over 18 lakh claims have been rejected
- Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Assam account for substantial pending claims, concentrated in specific districts
- This was the second regional conference; the first was held in Bengaluru on 10 September 2026 for southern states
- Andhra Pradesh officials shared best practices on digitisation and integration of forest rights titles into government records
What the Forest Rights Act aims to do
The Forest Rights Act, 2006 recognises the rights of forest-dwelling communities and other traditional inhabitants to land and forest resources they have historically used and depended on. It allows the government to formally document and distribute titles recognising these claims, enabling communities to access credit, development schemes and exercise control over community forests.
Priority areas identified at the conference
Officials identified several urgent tasks for states to complete. These include speeding up the disposal of the 11 lakh pending claims and reviewing rejected claims according to the rules of the Act. States were asked to reconcile data discrepancies and correct delays in monthly progress reports to the central ministry.
The conference emphasised the need to incorporate recognised forest rights into official revenue and forest department records, using accurate maps. Officials also called for digitisation of all forest rights case files to improve record-keeping and decision-making. States were asked to prepare PVTG-wise (Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group) roadmaps for habitat rights recognition, to be developed with the participation of traditional institutions and village councils.
Community forest rights and livelihood support
A major focus was accelerating the recognition of Community Forest Resource Rights, which allow village councils (Gram Sabhas) to manage forest resources collectively. However, officials noted that rights recognition must be paired with capacity-building support. The Ministry of Tribal Affairs is providing financial assistance to help Gram Sabhas prepare and execute community forest management plans, aligned with forest department working plans.
States were also directed to ensure that recognised rights are linked to government livelihood schemes, housing programmes and credit facilities, so that forest rights holders can use their titles to access development support.
Digital systems and data integration
The Ministry demonstrated a national-level Forest Rights Act portal and mobile application to states, which can be used to digitise existing records, integrate geospatial data and support governance decisions. States were urged to connect their existing forest rights databases to the national system through application programming interfaces (APIs) for seamless data sharing.
Action plans required from states
Each state presented its implementation status and committed to prepare time-bound action plans. These plans must cover the disposal of pending and rejected claims, recognition of community and habitat rights, and efforts to strengthen Gram Sabhas with awareness campaigns and capacity-building for management plan preparation. The conference also called for better coordination between tribal welfare, revenue and forest departments to avoid delays and ensure consistent implementation across districts.
What this means for you
If you belong to a scheduled tribe or traditional forest-dwelling community in these eight states and have filed a forest rights claim, you should expect faster processing in priority districts, more accurate record-keeping and better integration of your rights into official land and forest records. If your claim was previously rejected, states have been directed to review it. If your village council manages community forests, you can now access government support to prepare management plans and link forest rights to livelihood and housing schemes.
What happens next
States must prepare detailed action plans and present them to the Ministry. The Ministry will provide financial assistance for digitisation, Gram Sabha capacity-building and integration of forest rights into revenue and forest records. Implementation progress will be tracked against these time-bound plans.