Forest Rights Act (FRA)

Tribals have been residing in forest land for generations, cultivating and collecting forest produce like firewood and fruits. They, however, do not have a legal document showing that they are owners of the land. Ever since the Forest Conservation Act, these tribals have been seen as encroachers or illegal occupants. After the enactment of the Act, these tribals will now have the legal right to own, collect, use and dispose of minor forest produce. This is expected to undo the historical injustice done to forest-dwelling Scheduled Tribes who were living at the whims of the forest department, so far. – The Indian Express, 2 January 2008

Tip: more posts with information on India’s forest legislation are found on this website (in reverse chronological order): Forest Rights Act (FRA) | Illegal mining >>

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“Together, we must endeavour to strengthen tribal communities which are the role model in preservation of water, forest and land, and learn from their connection with nature and the surrounding environment for the sake of the entire human race.” – journalist and tribal rights activist Dayamani Barla in The Wire >>

“Once, I was walking with this young tribal girl through the forest and we stumbled upon a tuber. She plucked it, cut the eye of the tuber and buried it in the mud before taking it to be cooked. I asked her why she did so and she replied ‘If I don’t put it back, how will it grow again?’ and that moment made me realise how sensitive tribals are towards environment and nature. For them, putting back what they take is inherent in their culture and lifestyle.” – Mari Marcel Thekaekara (writer and Co-Founder of ACCORD-Nilgiris) | Learn more >>

“Jungle is a living entity and it also communicates, provided we have the ability to listen to it. […] The three essential components—forests, tribal forest dwellers and life forms living in forests—complement one another and are not rivals.” – Former environment minister A.M. Dave >>

Fact checking

Basics

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• Adivasi (Adibasi)
• Education and literacy
• Forest dwellers in early India – myths and ecology in historical perspective
• History
• Modernity
• Success stories
• Tribal Children’s Right to Education in India
• Tribal groups

Issues

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• “Casteism” and its effect on tribal communities
• Colonial policies
• Denotified Tribe vs. “criminal tribe“
• Ecology and environment
• Economy and development
• Health and nutrition
• Misconceptions
• Tribal identity
• Water and development – India’s tribal communities

President of India

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• Droupadi Murmu: Official website
• National development and the development of tribal communities are linked
• Rashtrapati Bhavan, home to the President of the world’s largest democracy, epitomizes India’s strength, its democratic traditions and secular character
• Up-to-date coverage in the Indian press

Government of India, national & international organizations

Details

• Endangered languages: Peoples’ Linguistic Survey of India
• Environment minister’s call for a change in the colonial outlook: “Forests, tribal forest dwellers and life forms living in forests complement one another and are not rivals”
• Gandhian social movement
• Govt. of India, NGOs, Indian universities and international organisations
• India’s Constitutional obligation to respect their cultural traditions
• National Commission for Scheduled Tribes | Related posts
• Organizations
• Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG)
• Rights of Indigenous Peoples
• Survival International
• Tagore and rural culture
• Women | Safe search | President Droupadi Murmu on women’s empowerment

Legal provisions

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• Accountability
• Child rights & Right to education handbook
• Constitution and Supreme Court
• Denotified, nomadic and semi-nomadic (“hidden”) tribes: Classifications in different states
• Forest Rights Act (FRA) | Legal rights | What is the Forest Rights Act about?
• Scheduled Tribes (ST) | Who are Scheduled Tribes?
• “Tribal rights in land and forest should be respected”: Jawaharlal Nehru on five principles for the policy to be pursued vis-a-vis the tribals
• Who is a forest dweller under this law, and who gets rights?

Resources

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• Background guide for education (free eBook)
• Books on tribal culture and related resources
• Fact checking | Factchecker.in | Safe search examples with keywords:
  “factchecker.in rural india“| “factchecker.in adivasi tribe“
• Indian magazines and web portals – news coverage and analysis
• Indigenous knowledge: biodiversity, ecology, health, nutrition, nature, wildlife
• Interactive maps
• Names of tribal communities
• News update in Indian periodicals: Tribal Affairs
• Publishers