The Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) convened the first Regional Review Conference on implementation of the Forest Rights Act, 2006 (FRA) in Bengaluru, bringing together senior officials from five Southern States - Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana. The conference reviewed the status of FRA implementation and developed coordinated action plans.
As of 30 June 2026, national data shows over 54 lakh Individual Forest Rights (IFR) claims have been received, with approximately 25.42 lakh titles distributed covering nearly 238 lakh acres. There remain over 10 lakh pending claims nationally, with 19,845 Community Forest Rights (CFR) recognized. The Ministry emphasized that recognition of rights must translate into tenure security, sustainable livelihoods, and convergence with development schemes for tribal empowerment.
State-wise progress reports revealed significant variations: Karnataka reported receiving 295,176 applications with 16,700 titles distributed and 15,553 claims under verification, affected by delays in constituting Taluk and Zilla Panchayats. Tamil Nadu has digitized 15,838 Phase-I titles while verifying 41,692 fresh Phase-II claims. Andhra Pradesh distributed 227,300 Individual and 1,225 Community titles against 290,874 claims received. Telangana led with 230,735 Individual and 102 Community titles distributed against 655,249 claims received, using a digitized Online RoFR Title Granting System that won the SKOCH Award of Excellence (Gold, 2024). Kerala recognized 29,545 Individual and 286 Community titles with 1,616 individual and 108 community claims pending.
The conference highlighted several key initiatives including the development of a National-level FRA Portal for digitization of records through API integration, the joint MoTA and Ministry of Environment advisory enabling integration of Community Forest Resource Management Plans with Forest Department plans, and the conversion of six Forest Villages into Revenue Villages in Kerala.
States were called upon to prioritize time-bound disposal of pending claims, accelerate recognition of Community Forest Resource Rights and Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) Habitat Rights, complete incorporation of recognized rights in revenue and forest records, and strengthen convergence with livelihood and welfare schemes. Each state committed to developing specific roadmaps and timelines for these objectives.