**Executive Summary**
This document reports on the development of a national Forest Rights Act (FRA) Digital Platform by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA), using innovation-driven initiatives like the Smart India Hackathon (SIH) 2025. Field visits were conducted in Nashik district, Maharashtra on January 2-3, 2026, and a National Workshop took place on January 5-6, 2026, to refine the platform's design. The platform development is currently at the initial stage.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **FRA Digital Platform Development:**
* MoTA is developing a national FRA Digital Platform for filing, tracking, and verifying Individual and Community Forest Rights claims.
* The platform is being developed through innovation-driven initiatives, including the Smart India Hackathon (SIH) 2025.
* MoTA placed a problem statement under SIH 2025 for developing an AI-powered FRA Atlas and a WebGIS-based Decision Support System (DSS).
* 390 teams participated in the Hackathon, and the top five teams were shortlisted.
* **Post-Hackathon Implementation and Field Visits:**
* MoTA conducted a Post-Hackathon implementation program from January 2nd to 6th, 2026, engaging students and mentors from the top five teams.
* A two-day field visit was conducted in Nashik district, Maharashtra, on January 2nd and 3rd, 2026 to strengthen the platform's design.
* Field visits involved interactions with the Nashik District Level Committee, Individual Forest Right holders, Forest Rights Committees (FRCs), Community Forest Rights Management Committees (CFRMCs), Forest Department officials, Gram Sabha members, and ITDP Officials.
* **National Workshop:**
* A two-day National Workshop was organized on January 5th and 6th, 2026, at the National Tribal Research Institute (NTRI).
* The workshop aimed to refine, integrate, and finalize the platform's functional design and system architecture.
* The platform will harmonize multiple innovative solutions into a single, scalable, and claimant-centric digital ecosystem.
* **Current Status and Future Plans:**
* MoTA is the first Ministry to engage student teams after Smart India Hackathon 2025.
* The development of the National Level FRA Digital Platform is at an initial stage.
* Pilot testing field validation or capacity-building exercises are not under consideration in MoTA.
**Impact Analysis**
* **Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA)**
* **Impact:** Responsible for overseeing the development and implementation of the FRA Digital Platform.
* **Action Required:** Continue to lead and manage the platform development process, incorporating feedback from stakeholders.
* **Smart India Hackathon (SIH) 2025 Finalist Teams**
* **Impact:** Engaged in the co-development and testing of the FRA Digital Platform.
* **Action Required:** Continue to refine and integrate their solutions into the platform's design based on field visit feedback and workshop outcomes.
* **State Government Officials (Maharashtra)**
* **Impact:** Provided insights into the Maharashtra FRA Portal, its architecture, functionality, and best practices.
* **Action Required:** Continue to collaborate with MoTA and the SIH teams to share knowledge and support the development of the national platform.
* **Individual Forest Right Holders, Forest Rights Committees (FRCs), Community Forest Rights Management Committees (CFRMCs), Forest Department Officials, Gram Sabha Members, ITDP Officials (Nashik District)**
* **Impact:** Provided ground-level insights, validated field-level data, and helped calibrate the platform to claimant-level realities.
* **Action Required:** Provide ongoing feedback and support to ensure the platform effectively addresses their needs and challenges.
Key Entities Referenced
Forest Rights Act (FRA): The central law being administered and digitized by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA): The primary agency responsible for the administration and digitization of the Forest Rights Act.
National Level FRA Digital Platform: The proposed digital platform for managing Forest Rights Act claims.
Smart India Hackathon (SIH) 2025: The hackathon where the initial development of the digital platform was initiated.
Nashik: The district in Maharashtra where field visits and ground validation were conducted.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF TRIBAL AFFAIRS
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO- 2117
TO BE ANSWERED ON- 12/02/2026
FOREST RIGHTS ACT (FRA), DIGITAL PLATFORM
2117. SMT. MALA RAJYA LAXMI SHAH:
SHRI LUMBARAM CHOUDHARY:
DR. VINOD KUMAR BIND:
SHRI GODAM NAGESH:
SHRI PRATAP CHANDRA SARANGI:
DR. KALYAN VAIJINATHRAO KALE:
Will the Minister of TRIBAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:
(a) the key components and functionalities of the proposed national Forest Rights Act (FRA)
Digital Platform, including modules for filing, tracking and verification of Individual and
Community Forest Rights claims;
(b) the implementation roadmap for rolling out the unified platform over the next two months and
the details of the pioneering approach of Ministry of Tribal Affairs, of engaging all Smart India
Hackathon-2025 finalists for co-development and testing of the platform;
(c) the details and key outcomes of the field visits conducted on 2-3 January 2026 to Surgana and
Igatpuri blocks in Nashik district for ground validation with Forest Rights Committees (FRCs) and
Community Forest Rights Management Committees (CFRMCs); and
(d) whether similar pilot testing field validation or capacity-building exercises are proposed in
Scheduled Areas of Telangana particularly in ITDA regions and if so, the timeline and
implementation details thereof?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE FOR TRIBAL AFFAIRS
(SHRI DURGA DAS UIKEY)
(a) to (c): Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) being the nodal for administrations of the “Scheduled
Tribes And Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006”, has been
actively engaging with innovation-driven initiatives to advance digitization. In this context, under
Software category of Smart India Hackathon (SIH) 2025, MoTA placed a problem statement for
the development of an AI-powered FRA Atlas and a WebGIS-based Decision Support System
(DSS) to support integrated monitoring of Individual Forest Rights (IFR), Community Rights (CR)
and Community Forest Resource (CFR) rights. A total of 390 teams participated and the top five
teams were shortlisted. Further, MoTA conducted a Post- Hackathon implementation programmefrom 2nd to 6th January 2026, where students and mentors from the top five teams combined
engaged for development of the National Level FRA Digital Platform.
As a part of Post- Hackathon implementation programme, a two-day field visit was conducted
during 2nd and 3rd January 2026, in Nashik district of Maharashtra, to strengthen the evidence-
based design of the proposed National FRA Digital Platform. The group of students and mentors
from five top teams, along with MoTA officials and State Government officials, first interacted
with the Nashik- District Level Committee at Nashik District Collectorate, where the State
Government demonstrated the Maharashtra FRA Portal, highlighting its functional architecture,
practical utility in FRA implementation and monitoring, and best practices emerging from the
State, including success stories of recognized patta holders and the overall status of FRA
implementation across Maharashtra. Thereafter, the group along with MoTA and State
Government officials visited Jamunpada village and Sulpada village of Surgana block and
Wadivarhe village of Igatpuri block, Nashik, where the students interacted with Individual Forest
Right holders, Forest Rights Committees (FRCs), Community Forest Rights Management
Committees (CFRMCs), Forest Department officials, Gram Sabha members, ITDP Kalwan and
ITDP Nashik Officials, discussed the ground-level challenges, validated field level data, Collected
field workflows, geospatial data for platform calibration and ensure that the digital solutions are
firmly anchored in claimant-level realities.
Further, a two-day National Workshop was organized on 5th and 6th January 2026, at the National
Tribal Research Institute (NTRI). During this workshop, all teams worked to refine, integrate, and
finalize the functional design and system architecture of the proposed national FRA Digital
Platform, focused on harmonizing multiple innovative solutions into a single, scalable, and
claimant-centric digital ecosystem. MoTA became the first Ministry to engage student teams after
Smart India Hackathon 2025. Further, the development of National Level FRA Digital Platform is
at initial stage.
(d): The matter is not under consideration in MoTA.
******