**Executive Summary**
This document is a response to Starred Question No. 171 in the Lok Sabha, concerning displacement from forest land, to be answered on 11.12.2025. The response provides information on the implementation of the Forest Rights Act (FRA), including claims, disposals, and resettlement. A statement is laid on the table of the house.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Forest Rights Act Provisions:**
* Section 3(1) of FRA (2006) vests forest rights, including the right to hold and live on forest land for habitation or self-cultivation.
* Section 4(5) of FRA states that Forest Dwelling Scheduled Tribe or Other Traditional Forest Dwellers shall not be evicted or removed until the recognition and verification procedure is complete.
* FRA (2006) provides for resettlement of forest rights holders under specific conditions.
* **Displacement Reports:**
* No reports of pending applicants being displaced have been received from State Governments.
* The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) reports no displacement from core tiger habitats, with prior consent and due diligence exercised.
* **Madhya Pradesh (Dewas District) Claims:**
* 9238 claims were received (8762 individual, 476 community).
* 4869 titles (52.70%) were distributed.
* 4368 claims (47.28%) were rejected.
* 1 claim is pending, indicating 99.98% disposal rate.
* **National Claims Status (as of October 31, 2025):**
* 51,57,332 claims filed (49,44,101 individual, 2,13,231 community).
* 25,14,774 titles distributed (23,92,545 individual, 1,22,229 community).
* 18,73,738 claims rejected (36.33%).
* 7,68,820 claims pending.
* State-wise details are at Annexure
* **Tiger Project & Eco-Tourism:**
* No applications have been received in the Ministry of Tribal Affairs under FRA for the Tiger Project, ecotourism in the forest areas, and in other project areas.
* Information not collated at the Government of India level; State and District level committees oversee monitoring and implementation of resettlement.
**Impact Analysis**
**Stakeholder: Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers**
* **Impact:** Their rights under the Forest Rights Act (FRA) regarding displacement from forest land and recognition of their claims are being addressed.
* **Action Required:** File and pursue claims for forest rights recognition.
**Stakeholder: State Governments**
* **Impact:** Required to implement FRA and report on displacement and claim status.
* **Action Required:** Ensure no displacement occurs without due process, conduct due diligence, process pending claims, provide state-wise claim details.
**Stakeholder: National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)**
* **Impact:** Must ensure no displacement from tiger reserves without prior consent and due diligence.
* **Action Required:** Continue to monitor and ensure that no displacement from tiger reserves occurs without due process and free and informed consent.
**Stakeholder: Ministry of Tribal Affairs**
* **Impact:** Oversees FRA implementation.
* **Action Required:** Monitor and ensure that no displacement from tiger reserves occurs without due process and free and informed consent.
**Stakeholder: State and District Level Monitoring Committees**
* **Impact:** Responsible for overseeing the voluntary resettlement process.
* **Action Required:** Implement and oversee the voluntary resettlement process according to relevant provisions.
Key Entities Referenced
Forest Rights Act (FRA): The primary legislation concerning the rights of forest dwellers, central to the policy's subject matter regarding displacement.
Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006: The full name of the FRA, it defines the rights and processes related to forest land claims and displacement.
Ministry of Tribal Affairs: The central ministry responsible for matters related to tribal affairs, including the implementation of the FRA.
Madhya Pradesh: The state specifically mentioned regarding displacement details.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF TRIBAL AFFAIRS
LOK SABHA
STARRED QUESTION No. 171
TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.12.2025
DISPLACEMENT FROM FOREST LAND
†*171. SHRI RAJKUMAR ROAT:
Will the Minister of TRIBAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:
(a) whether Forest Rights Act (FRA) provides for non-displacement of applicants from forest land
in pending cases, if so, the details thereof;
(b) whether the pending applicants are being displaced from many areas despite the restrictive
provisions under FRA, if so, the details thereof;
(c) the number of applicants displaced from their homes and their possessions removed in the
country by Forest Department or other Government machinery during the last five years despite
the fact that their cases are pending, State-wise, year-wise and particularly name-wise details of
Dewas district in Madhya Pradesh;
(d) the action being taken against the guilty officials, State-wise;
(e) the number of individuals and community claims under the FRA currently lying
pending/rejected across the country; and
(f) the number of applications received under FRA for the Tiger Project, eco-tourism in the forest
areas and in other project areas in the country along with the number of leases issued, applications
lying pending and those rejected thereof?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF TRIBAL AFFAIRS
(SHRI JUAL ORAM)
(a) to (f): A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.STATEMENT REFERRED IN REPLY TO LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 171
FOR ANSWER ON 11.12.2025 REGARDING “DISPLACEMENT FROM FOREST
LAND” BY SHRI RAJKUMAR ROAT
(a): Section 3 (1) of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of
Forest Rights) Act" (in short, FRA) enacted in 2006 provides vesting of forest rights including
right to hold and live in the forest land under individual or common occupation for habitation or
for self-cultivation for livelihood by a member or members of forest dwelling Scheduled Tribes
and other traditional forest dweller as defined in Section 2 (c) and 2 (o). Section 4 (5) of FRA
states that "Save as otherwise provided, no member of a Forest Dwelling Scheduled Tribe or Other
Traditional Forest Dweller shall be evicted or removed from forest land under his occupation till
the recognition and verification procedure is complete". Further, the Scheduled Tribes and Other
Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 provides for provisions for resettlement
of forest rights holders subject to satisfying certain conditions outlined in Section 4, sub-section
(2) of the said Act.
(b & c): No reports have been received from the State Governments regarding pending applicants
being displaced. As reported by National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), there are no
persons who have been displaced from core/critical tiger habitats of tiger reserves, and free and
informed prior consent of the people is taken and due diligence is exercised by the States in
harmony with the voluntarism enshrined in the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 read with the
Scheduled Tribes and Other Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006.
As reported by the State Government of Madhya Pradesh, in Dewas district, there are a total of
9238 claims (Individual- 8762 and Community- 476) have been received, out of which a total of
4869 (52.70%) titles were distributed, 4368 (47.28%) claims have been rejected, and 1 claim is
pending. Therefore, 99.98% claims are disposed of in Dewas District of Madhya Pradesh.
(d): Question does not arise
(e): As reported by States/UTs, cumulatively till 31st October 2025, a total of 51,57,332 claims
have been filed at Gram Sabha Level, comprising 49,44,101 individual and 2,13,231 community
claims. Out of which a total of 25,14,774 (48.76%) titles were distributed, comprising 23,92,545
individual and 1,22,229 community titles. A total of 18,73,738 (36.33%) have been rejected and a
total of 7,68,820 claims are pending for decision. State-wise details are at Annexure.
(f): No applications have been received in the Ministry of Tribal Affairs under FRA for the Tiger
Project, ecotourism in the forest areas, and in other project areas. Further ,the said information is
not collated at the level of the Government of India as relevant provisions clearly prescribe a State-
level Monitoring Committee and a District-level Implementing Committee to oversee the process
of monitoring and implementing the voluntary resettlement process.Annexure
Annexure referred to in reply to part (e) of Lok Sabha Starred Question No. 171 for answer on 11.12.2025
State-wise details of Claims and Distribution of title deeds and rejected claims under The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers
(Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 as per information received from States as on 31.10.2025:
Number of Claims
No. of Claims receivedupto 31.10.2025 No. of Titles Distributedupto 31.10.2025
S. Rejected
States
No.
Individual Community Total Individual Community Total Individual Community
1 Andhra Pradesh 285,115 3,294 288,409 226,667 1,822 228,489 56925 1470
2 Assam 148,965 6,046 155,011 57,325 1,477 58,802 0 0
3 Bihar 4,696 0 4,696 191 0 191 4496 0
4 Chhattisgarh 890,220 57,259 947,479 481,432 52,636 534,068 403129 3658
5 Goa 9,958 388 10,346 1,027 19 1,046 702 1178
6 Gujarat 183,055 7,187 190,242 98,732 4,792 103,524 0 2331
7 Himachal Pradesh 4,981 683 5,664 755 146 901 52 2
8 Jharkhand 107,032 3,724 110,756 59,866 2,104 61,970 26370 1737
9 Karnataka 289,236 5,940 295,176 15,355 1,345 16,700 258109 4270
10 Kerala 44,455 1,014 45,469 29,422 282 29,704 12668 296
11 Madhya Pradesh 585,326 42,187 627,513 266,901 27,976 294,877 310216 12191
12 Maharashtra 397,897 11,259 409,156 199,667 8,668 208,335 170487 2144
13 Odisha 732,751 36,637 769,388 464,288 9,352 473,640 145762 578
14 Rajasthan 113,162 5,213 118,375 49,215 2,551 51,766 63466 2455
15 Tamil Nadu 33,119 1,548 34,667 15,442 1,066 16,508 12293 418
16 Telangana 651,822 3,427 655,249 230,735 721 231,456 92744 1682
17 Tripura 200,557 164 200,721 127,931 101 128,032 68785 63
18 Uttar Pradesh 92,972 1,194 94,166 22,537 893 23,430 70435 301
19 Uttarakhand 3,587 3,091 6,678 184 1 185 3403 3090
20 West Bengal 131,962 10,119 142,081 44,444 686 45,130 87333 9254
21 Jammu & Kashmir 33,233 12,857 46,090 429 5,591 6,020 32727 7197
TOTAL 4,944,101 213,231 5,157,332 2,392,545 122,229 2,514,774 1,820,578 53,160
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