Bengaluru: The Centre has asked five southern states to speed up the implementation of the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006, with a focus on clearing pending claims, recognising Community Forest Rights and granting habitat rights to Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs).
The Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) held its first Regional Review Conference on FRA implementation in Bengaluru on Thursday, bringing together senior officials from the Tribal Welfare, Revenue and Forest departments of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana.
The ministry said more than 54 lakh Individual Forest Rights (IFR) claims had been received across India as of June 30, 2026. Around 25.42 lakh titles covering nearly 238 lakh acres have been distributed, while more than 10 lakh claims remain pending.
The ministry also said 19,845 Community Forest Rights (CFR) have been recognised nationally.
Officials urged the southern states to adopt time-bound measures to dispose of pending and rejected claims, recognise Community Forest Resource Rights (CFRR) and PVTG habitat rights, and ensure recognised rights are reflected in land records.
Karnataka reported receiving 2,95,176 claims, of which 16,700 Forest Rights Titles have been distributed. Another 15,553 claims are under verification.
Officials said delays in constituting Taluk and Zilla Panchayats have affected the functioning of Sub-Divisional and District Level Committees. Re-verification of rejected claims through ‘Mahajaru’ committees is under way. Beneficiary data is also being integrated with the state’s FRUITS and Bhoomi platforms to improve convergence with government schemes.
Tamil Nadu has digitised 15,838 titles issued in Phase-I, while 41,692 fresh claims received under Phase-II are under verification. The state has also developed an FRA Atlas and dedicated district-level FRA cells.
Andhra Pradesh has distributed 2,27,300 individual and 1,225 community titles against 2,90,874 claims received as of August 31. Its Giribhumi FRA portal is linked with revenue and banking systems.
Telangana has distributed 2,30,735 individual and 102 community titles against 6,55,249 claims. Its digitised RoFR title system is integrated with the BhuBharathi revenue portal.
Kerala has recognised 29,545 individual and 286 community titles, with 1,616 individual and 108 community claims pending, mainly due to survey and verification issues. Six forest villages have also been converted into revenue villages.
The ministry stressed that recognition of forest rights must translate into tenure security, sustainable livelihoods and convergence with welfare schemes.
It also called for greater recognition of Community Forest Resource Rights, which can strengthen Gram Sabha-led forest governance and community livelihoods.
States were asked to digitise FRA records and integrate them with the upcoming national FRA portal through APIs.
The conference concluded with state-specific roadmaps and timelines for clearing pending claims, recognising community and PVTG habitat rights, updating revenue and forest records, and improving convergence with livelihood and welfare programmes.
