BharatNotes Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006
The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act that recognises and vests individual and community forest rights of forest-dwelling Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers who have been residing in such forests for generations.
Context & Background
Enacted December 2006 to correct the "historical injustice" done to forest-dwelling communities; implemented through gram sabhas.
UPSC Exam Relevance
Two types of rights — individual (cultivation, dwelling) and community (CFR — Community Forest Rights); gram sabha is the authority to recognise claims; Niyamgiri judgment (2013) upheld gram sabha rights.
