J&K Speeds Up Forest Rights Act Implementation, Curbs Unlawful Evictions

The Jammu and Kashmir administration has accelerated the implementation of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006. Crucially, the administration warned the Forest Department against issuing arbitrary eviction notices to tribal populations residing in forest regions without proper legal verification.

Although enacted nationally in 2006, the Forest Rights Act (FRA) became fully applicable to Jammu and Kashmir only after the abrogation of Article 370 and the passage of the J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019. FRA recognizes the rights of forest-dwelling tribal communities and traditional forest dwellers over forest land and natural resources.

The Act grants individual forest rights (IFR) for habitation and self-cultivation, alongside community forest rights (CFR) over common resources. Gram Sabhas serve as the primary statutory body to initiate and evaluate rights claims, which are subsequently vetted by Sub-Divisional and District Level Committees.

Enforcing the FRA protects vulnerable indigenous communities from unlawful displacement while balancing ecological conservation with socio-economic justice. For aspirants, this is a prime topic for Prelims questions on tribal rights and forest legislation, and Mains GS-II and GS-III discussions on vulnerable sections and environmental governance.