Implementation of Forest Rights Act in India : A Review Article

Abstract

The enactment of Forest Rights Act in 2006 by the Government of India elicited jubilation from the human rights activists who believed that time has come to rectify the historical injustice meted out to the tribes and other forest dwellers while there was a sense of foreboding among the conservationists who thought that this Act might result in more encroachments in forest areas and could prove detrimental to the protection of India's depleting wild flora and fauna. Over the course of past 15 years, lakhs of individuals have obtained the right to cultivate and reside in forest lands and over eighty lakh acres of forests have come under community ownership. There also have been several instances of encroachment of forest lands by some people taking undue advantage of the provisions of the Act. Efforts are on to recognize other rights under the Act apart from individual and community rights, which have been largely neglected. This article explores the various studies on the FRA conducted by different academicians, researchers and reporters from across the country since the Act was promulgated and tries to collate their opinions on the implementation of the Act. Some studies on the implementation of similar initiatives in other countries have also been quoted here.