Over 41,900 forest rights claims filed across J and K under Forest Rights Act

• FRA implementation gains ground with thousands seeking land and community rights

JAMMU, Feb 20: The Union Territory Government on Friday informed the Assembly that a total of 41,944 claims have been received across Jammu and Kashmir under the Forest Rights Act, 2006. Of these, 28,925 are individual forest rights claims, while 13,019 pertain to community forest rights.

The Forest Rights Act, formally known as the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers Recognition of Forest Rights Act, 2006, was enacted to recognise and vest forest rights in Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers who have been residing on forest land for at least three generations. The legislation seeks to correct historical injustices by legally acknowledging customary rights over land and forest resources.

Replying in writing to a question raised by BJP MLA R S Pathania, Forest Minister Javed Rana presented district wise details of the claims received so far under the Act. The data reveals significant variation across districts, reflecting both demographic patterns and the extent of forest dependent populations.

Rajouri district recorded the highest number of claims at 16,442. This includes 9,067 individual forest rights claims and 6,002 community forest rights claims, making it the leading district in terms of applications submitted under the Act. Kupwara followed with 6,039 claims, of which 5,448 were individual claims and 591 were community claims. Poonch reported 5,175 claims, including 1,282 individual claims and a notably higher 3,893 community claims, indicating strong collective assertions of forest use rights in that region.

Budgam accounted for 4,065 claims, comprising 3,862 individual and 203 community claims. Other districts with substantial numbers include Doda with 1,795 claims, Shopian with 1,595, Kulgam with 1,405, Ramban with 1,308 and Baramulla with 741.

In the remaining districts, Anantnag received 676 claims, Reasi 578, Ganderbal 514, Pulwama 323 and Bandipora 219. Within the Jammu region, Kishtwar reported 855 claims. Jammu district recorded 44 claims, Kathua 42, Samba 77 and Udhampur 51. Notably, no claims were reported from Srinagar district.

The cumulative figures underscore the wide scale of engagement with the Forest Rights Act across the Union Territory. The government stated that the data reflects total claims received and pertains to both individual and community rights under the Act. These include claims over land cultivated by forest dwellers, as well as rights related to grazing, minor forest produce, water bodies and other traditional uses.

The Minister reiterated that the objective of the Act is to ensure recognition of legitimate rights of Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers, while balancing ecological sustainability and forest conservation. The presentation of district wise data in the Assembly highlights the ongoing implementation of the Act and the government’s focus on processing claims in accordance with statutory provisions.