Forest Rights Act: Tribal Affairs Ministry holds review meet in Kolkata
Why in the news
The Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) held its Second Regional Review Conference on the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006 in Kolkata on 9 October 2026. The first such regional review, for southern states, was held in Bengaluru on 10 September 2026.
Key facts
- Participating states (8): West Bengal, Assam, Tripura, Jharkhand, Odisha, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh; Andhra Pradesh was invited to present its good practices.
- Pending claims: Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Assam have large pending claims concentrated in certain districts.
- CFR rights: Gram Sabhas need help to draw up and run Community Forest Resource management plans; support under DA-JGUA is available for this.
- PVTG habitat rights: a roadmap for each PVTG, prepared with traditional institutions and Gram Sabhas, was called for.
- States were asked to plan time-bound disposal of pending claims, review rejected claims and link FRA records to the national FRA portal and app through an API.
National FRA status (as of 31 August 2026)
| Item | Number |
|---|---|
| Claims received | Over 54 lakh |
| Titles distributed | Nearly 25 lakh |
| Claims pending | About 11 lakh |
| Claims rejected | Over 18 lakh |
About the Forest Rights Act
The full name is the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006. MoTA is the nodal ministry. Andhra Pradesh was cited for records and digitisation, while Odisha and Chhattisgarh were cited for PVTG habitat rights and the highest number of IFR claims recognised. A MoTA advisory of 24 June 2026 covers adding forest rights to revenue and forest records.
Exam angle
- Nodal ministry for FRA: Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
- Know the claim numbers: received, titles, pending, rejected.
- Expand CFR, IFR and PVTG; note the role of the Gram Sabha.