Chhattisgarh Govt. Cuts Thousands of Forest Rights Titles

According to the RTI information, thousands of forest rights titles (IFR and CFRR) have gone missing in official records in the state of Chhattisgarh in the last 17 months especially districts, such as Bastar, Rajnandgaon and Bijapur. The officials of the state explained it by the mistakes with the reporting and interconnection of the levels of administration and argued that no titles given were withdrawn. The scholars raised the deviation because the Forest Rights Act (FRA) 2006 does not provide a way of recovering titles that have been given back. The Scheduled Tribes and the forest dwellers are granted rights in terms of land and resources under the Act. Chhattisgarh has more than 43 percent of the forest area under the FRA titles but implementation misses pace in some of its newly free of Naxalism districts.

Context

• In 2006 the Forest Rights Act (FRA) legitimized the individual and group rights of Scheduled tribes and other forest dwellers to land and products in forests. 

• The possibility of title reductions brings about issues of transparency, accuracy of all records, and quality of implementation in the sensitive districts.

Key Points

• RTI results: Reduction in number of forest rights in several districts across Chhattisgarh.

• Case studies: Bastar IFR titles depreciated by 268 (37,958/Jan 2024- 35,180/May 2025); Rajnandgaon CFRR titles lost half its value in a month (40/Jan 2025- 20/Feb 2025).

• Govt justification: Miscommunication and reporting mishaps between gram sabha, sub-divisional and district level.

• FRA 2006: There are no legal mechanisms to withdraw titles already granted.

• National perspective: Indian numbers: total 282396 ha of forests covered under FRA titles. Chhattisgarh is home to 43% of this.

Data Point

1. The Data Discrepancy

• Bastar: 16 months decline in IFR titles 2,778.

• Rajnandgaon: half-month in 2024 has witnessed a cut in 50 percent of CFRR titles.

• Bijapur: CFRR titles decreased (April 2024) 299 to 297.

• FRA is not enacted in Raipur, Durg and Bemetara.

2. Government Position

• Not title-withdrawing changes; changes caused by the reporting error.

• It has been attributed to lack of communication between the various administration levels.

3. Expert Concerns

• In FRA revisions are not provided by way of post grant revocation of titles.

• Cutbacks should be an issue of record integrity and right security in the community.

4. Implementation Patterns

• Chhattisgarh: 4.82 lakh IFR (as of May 2025) titles distributed and 4,396 CFRR titles distributed.

• It is being implemented more slowly in three districts recently declared Naxalism-free.

5. Broader Significance

• A correctness of FRA is significant in the regard to the livelihood security of tribal and forest-dwelling populace.

• It brings to fore the administrative issues relating to decentralised implementation of rights.

Conclusion

Unaccounted decline of the registered forest rights titles in Chhattisgarh highlights the importance of delineation of good monitoring, having open data being managed, and preservation of tribal rights stipulated in FRA. Shortage of FRA coverage, especially among the State population, with such an extensive percentage of the national population, may be catastrophic socially and politically.