7 states fall short of Forest Rights Act implementation: Govt

The Centre has asked seven states to effectively implement the Forest Rights Act which seeks to restore rights of tribes living in forests for generations.

The move comes in the wake of directions by the Prime Minister's office, which called for the implementation of Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act in 'campaign mode' in states. It was found that seven states–Assam, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jharkhand–failed to implement the Forest Rights Act (FRA) effectively. 

"The progress report of states on implementation of FRA revealed that seven states did not perform well in implementing the Act since it was notified in January 2008," a Ministry official said.

"The Ministry of Tribal Affairs has organised consultations with state governments to create awareness for timely disposal of claims of land rights. The states have also been asked to take all steps for expeditious implementation of the Act. Despite all efforts, these states have not improved their performances and rejection rates are high," he said.