Thousands of forest rights titles 'vanish' in Chhattisgarh records, raising concerns over FRA implementation
Thousands of individual and community forest rights (IFR and CFRR) titles distributed in at least three Chhattisgarh districts have reportedly disappeared from state government records over the past 17 months. Data obtained via an RTI query by The Hindu revealed significant reductions, such as 2,788 IFR titles missing in Bastar and 50% of CFRR titles reduced in Rajnandgaon. Officials attributed this to "miscommunication and error in reporting" and subsequent corrections. However, experts term such decreases an "anomaly" as the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006, has no process for withdrawing granted titles. This raises serious concerns about the proper implementation and integrity of forest rights in the state.
Key Points
- Forest rights titles (IFR and CFRR) have reportedly disappeared from Chhattisgarh government records.
- Significant reductions were observed in Bastar (2,788 IFR titles missing) and Rajnandgaon (50% CFRR titles reduced).
- State officials claim the discrepancies are due to "miscommunication and error in reporting" and subsequent corrections.
- The Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006, does not provide a mechanism for withdrawing granted titles, making the disappearances anomalous.
- The issue highlights concerns regarding the implementation and integrity of forest rights for Scheduled Tribes and other forest-dwelling communities.
Exam Facts
- The Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006, recognizes the rights of Scheduled Tribes and other forest-dwelling communities to use forests.
- 2,788 individual forest rights (IFR) titles went missing in Bastar district.
- 50% of community forest resource titles in Rajnandgaon were reduced within a month last year.
- Data was obtained through an RTI query by The Hindu.
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