Revenue Minister reviews implementation of FRA
2 min read
· Strictly directs to expedite pending FRA related cases
Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi today chaired a meeting to review the effective implementation of the Forest Rights Act, 2006 (FRA) in Shimla district and assessed the progress of cases under the Act, besides issuing directions to ensure that the benefits reaches all the eligible in time bound and transparent manner.
The Minister directed officers to expedite the processing of FRA-related cases and emphasized that coordinated and proactive efforts were essential for the successful implementation of the Act. He said that the FRA was a significant welfare measure and its effective execution was a shared responsibility of all concerned departments.
During the meeting, the Minister took feedback from Sub-Divisional Officers of Rohru, Jubbal, Chopal, Shimla Rural and Kupvi regarding the status of FRA cases. He directed officials to work with a clear roadmap to ensure that the majority of pending cases were addressed by March 2026.
It was informed that the Shimla district has received a total of 262 individual and community claims at the Gram Sabha level so far. Of these, 196 cases have been forwarded by the Forest Rights Committees to the Sub-Divisional Level Committees. He also reviewed the institutional framework under the Act and was apprised that 2,266 Forest Rights Committees have been constituted across the district. These include 277 in Chopal, 9 in Dodra-Kwar, 129 in Jubbal, 215 in Kotkhai, 53 in Kupvi, 154 in Kumarsain, 216 in Rampur, 170 in Rohru, 473 in Shimla Rural, 19 in Shimla Urban, 180 in Sunni and 371 in Theog.
A detailed presentation was given on the Forest Rights Act in the meeting. It was informed that the Act provides for the recognition of land and forest rights of Scheduled Tribes and other eligible categories of individuals or communities who have been residing primarily on forest land for at least three generations prior to December 13, 2005 and were dependent on forests or forest land for their genuine livelihood needs.
Additional Chief Secretary Kamlesh Kumar Pant, Additional Chief Secretary Onkar Sharma, DC Anupam Kashyap, along with all SDMs of the district, tehsildars, forest officers and other revenue officials were present in the meeting.
