This is the first Legislation in the history of independent India, which gives the tribal and other poor forest-dwellers crucial rights over forests and forest lands. It gives titles to all those tribal families who have been occupying such lands from prior to December 2005 for habitation or cultivation purposes. Apart from this, it also gives local tribal and other traditional forest-dweller communities clear rights over forest resources and also the right to protect, regenerate, conserve and manage forest resources of their area. This would not only benefit the tribals but also the forests. This is because it is simply not possible to protect and regenerate the meagre forest of the country without active involvement of the local tribal communities and this is precisely what this Act provides for.
After the enactment of the Act, we have been working for just and proper implementation of the Forest Rights Act 2006.