Jaipur: Rajasthan has distributed 51,914 individual and community forest rights titles against 1.21 lakh claims received under the Forest Rights Act (FRA), while 11,869 titles are yet to be incorporated into revenue or forest records, highlighting gaps in the recognition and formalisation of tribal rights.According to figures presented by the Union tribal affairs ministry at a regional review conference in Srinagar, the state received 1,21,707 individual and 5,433 community claims. It distributed 49,383 individual and 2,531 community titles. Of the titles issued, 40,045 have been entered in official records.The gap between claims received and titles distributed stands at 75,226. However, this cannot be treated as the number of pending claims without a breakdown of rejected, withdrawn and undecided applications.“One of the challenges in processing claims is the difficulty many forest-dwelling families face in producing documentary evidence of long-term residence, traditional occupation and dependence on forest land. In several cases, families say their connection with the land goes back generations, but they do not possess conventional revenue records or other formal documents,” a senior tribal department official said.The FRA does not make conventional land documents the sole basis for establishing eligibility. Claims can also be supported through permissible evidence, including Gram Sabha records and statements. While Scheduled Tribes must establish residence and dependence on forest land before Dec 13, 2005, Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (OTFDs) must prove three generations, or 75 years, of such dependence.Delays in settling claims have fuelled resentment in some tribal areas. Tribal representatives have raised concerns over alleged encroachment on traditional community land and demanded faster recognition of forest rights.The ministry has asked states to prepare district-wise action plans identifying reasons for delays and the authorities responsible. It has also stressed that rejected claims must carry written reasons and applicants must be informed of their right to appeal.Implementation of Community Forest Resource Rights (CFRR), which allow eligible communities to protect and manage traditionally used forest resources, remains another concern. Tribal bodies have alleged that the dominance of non-tribals has led to CFRR being curtailed and obstructed on fictitious grounds.The figures underline that issuing titles is only part of the process, with their incorporation into official records and beneficiaries’ access to govt schemes remaining equally important.
