The Indian government has revealed that more than 7.6 lakh forest land rights claims remain pending under the Forest Rights Act, while nearly 19 lakh applications have been rejected since the law came into force.
Minister of Tribal Affairs Jual Oram told Parliament on December 11, 2025 that a total of 51.57 lakh claims have been filed across the country up to October 31, 2025. Of these, only 25.14 lakh titles were distributed, representing just 48.76 percent of all applications. The government rejected 18.73 lakh claims, or 36.33 percent of the total.
The government data does not explain why such a large number of claims have been rejected or why processing remains slow nearly two decades after the law was enacted. The ministry also provided no information about the specific reasons for rejections or what steps are being taken to address the backlog.
The figures came in response to a question from Member of Parliament Rajkumar Roat about displacement of people from forest land despite pending claims.
The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers Act, passed in 2006, gives forest dwelling communities the right to hold and live on forest land they occupy for habitation or self-cultivation. Section 4(5) of the law clearly states that no member of a forest dwelling tribe or traditional forest dweller shall be evicted from forest land under their occupation until the recognition and verification process is complete.
The act covers both individual and community claims. Individuals can claim land they occupy for living or farming, while communities can claim common forest resources.
Govt Reports No Displacements
The ministry stated that no reports have been received from state governments about pending applicants being displaced from forest land. The National Tiger Conservation Authority also reported that no persons have been displaced from core or critical tiger habitats of tiger reserves. The authority said that free and informed prior consent of people is taken before any resettlement.
However, the ministry clarified that no applications have been received for displacement related to tiger projects, ecotourism, or other project areas in forests.
Madhya Pradesh’s Dewas District
In Dewas district of Madhya Pradesh, which was specifically mentioned in the parliamentary question, the state government reported receiving 9,238 claims. This includes 8,762 individual claims and 476 community claims. The district distributed 4,869 titles, representing 52.70 percent of claims. Officials rejected 4,368 claims, or 47.28 percent, and only one claim remains pending. This means 99.98 percent of claims in Dewas have been decided.
The data shows wide variations across states. Chhattisgarh received the highest number of claims at 9.47 lakh, followed by Odisha with 7.69 lakh and Telangana with 6.55 lakh claims. Himachal Pradesh had the fewest at just 5,664 claims.
Distribution rates also vary significantly. Tripura distributed 63.77 percent of its claims, while Uttarakhand distributed only 2.75 percent. Assam has not rejected any claims, keeping all undistributed applications in pending status.
Forest Rights Act Claims Status
| State | Total Claims | Titles Distributed | Claims Rejected | Pending Claims |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chhattisgarh | 947,479 | 534,068 | 406,787 | 6,624 |
| Odisha | 769,388 | 473,640 | 146,340 | 149,408 |
| Telangana | 655,249 | 231,456 | 94,426 | 329,367 |
| Madhya Pradesh | 627,513 | 294,877 | 322,407 | 10,229 |
| Maharashtra | 409,156 | 208,335 | 172,631 | 28,190 |
| Karnataka | 295,176 | 16,700 | 262,379 | 16,097 |
| Andhra Pradesh | 288,409 | 228,489 | 58,395 | 1,525 |
| Tripura | 200,721 | 128,032 | 68,848 | 3,841 |
| Gujarat | 190,242 | 103,524 | 2,331 | 84,387 |
| Assam | 155,011 | 58,802 | 0 | 96,209 |
| West Bengal | 142,081 | 45,130 | 96,587 | 364 |
| Rajasthan | 118,375 | 51,766 | 65,921 | 688 |
| Jharkhand | 110,756 | 61,970 | 28,107 | 20,679 |
| Uttar Pradesh | 94,166 | 23,430 | 70,736 | 0 |
| Jammu & Kashmir | 46,090 | 6,020 | 39,924 | 146 |
| Kerala | 45,469 | 29,704 | 12,964 | 2,801 |
| Tamil Nadu | 34,667 | 16,508 | 12,711 | 5,448 |
| Goa | 10,346 | 1,046 | 1,880 | 7,420 |
| Uttarakhand | 6,678 | 185 | 6,493 | 0 |
| Himachal Pradesh | 5,664 | 901 | 54 | 4,709 |
| Bihar | 4,696 | 191 | 4,496 | 9 |
| TOTAL | 5,157,332 | 2,514,774 | 1,873,738 | 768,820 |
The government received 49.44 lakh individual claims and 2.13 lakh community claims. Officials distributed 23.92 lakh individual titles and 1.22 lakh community titles. They rejected 18.20 lakh individual claims and 53,160 community claims.
The ministry stated that question about action against guilty officials does not arise, since no displacement reports were received. The government does not maintain central records of applications for tiger projects or ecotourism, as state-level monitoring committees and district-level implementing committees oversee the voluntary resettlement process.
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