{"id":83945,"date":"2026-09-07T18:23:57","date_gmt":"2026-09-07T12:53:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=83945"},"modified":"2026-09-07T18:24:15","modified_gmt":"2026-09-07T12:54:15","slug":"forest-rights-act-gram-sabha-consent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/07-09-2026\/forest-rights-act-gram-sabha-consent","title":{"rendered":"No Provision in Forest Rights Act to Obtain Gram Sabha Consent for Projects: Ministry"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/Polity and Governance<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>As per the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MOTA), there is <strong>no provision for obtaining consent of the Gram Sabha<\/strong> for Stage-II forest clearance in the <strong>Forest Rights Act 2006.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>MOTA response came amid the <strong>deliberations with the Union Ministry of Power over government projects delayed<\/strong> due to the bottleneck of 100% gram sabha consent under the Act.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Law for Forest Clearance:<\/strong> FRA itself does not have the language of Gram Sabha consent specifically with respect to diverting forest land<strong> for non-forestry purposes.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The <strong>Forest Conservation Act of 1980<\/strong> required the identification of potential FRA claimants, the recognition of their rights where applicable, the vesting of these rights, and then obtaining a No Objection Certificate from the Gram Sabhas concerned.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>This procedure of obtaining an NOC from gram sabhas is what has commonly come to be known as the <strong>procedure for gram sabha consent for forest clearance.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The FRA explicitly states that <strong>the Ministry of Tribal Affairs <\/strong>is the nodal ministry responsible for the law\u2019s implementation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Forest Rights Act<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 (Forest Rights Act or FRA) was introduced <strong>to recognize the rights of forest-dwelling communities<\/strong>, including Scheduled Tribes, over forest resources that they have been traditionally using.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Major Highlights:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Recognition of Rights:<\/strong> It includes individual and community rights such as Self-cultivation, Habitation, Grazing, Fishing and access to Water bodies in forests.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It also includes <strong>Habitat Rights<\/strong> for PVTGs, Traditional Seasonal Resource access of Nomadic and Pastoral communities, access to biodiversity, <strong>community right to intellectual property and traditional knowledge<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Allocation of Forest Land:<\/strong> It also provides rights to allocation of forest land for <strong>developmental purposes<\/strong> to fulfil basic infrastructural needs of the community.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In conjunction with the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Settlement Act, 2013 <strong>FRA protects the tribal population from eviction without rehabilitation and settlement.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Role of Gram Sabha: <\/strong>The Act further enjoins upon the Gram Sabha and rights holders the <strong>responsibility of conservation and protection of forests<\/strong>.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Gram Sabha is also a highly empowered body under the Act, enabling the tribal population to have a decisive say in the <strong>determination of local policies and schemes impacting them.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What is the PESA Act, 1996?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>PESA Act, 1996 stands for the Provisions of the <strong>Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It is a law enacted by the Parliament to extend the provisions of <strong>Part IX<\/strong> of the Constitution relating to the <strong>Panchayats to the 5th Scheduled Areas<\/strong> in a slightly modified form.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Under the <strong>Fifth Schedule<\/strong> of the Constitution, regions with predominantly tribal populations are categorized as <strong>\u2018Scheduled Areas\u2019,<\/strong> a territorial designation that recognises the <strong>customary rights of the Scheduled Tribes (ST).<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How has the PESA Act boosted forest conservation?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Control Over Natural Resources:<\/strong> The Act grants tribal communities control over the <strong>management and utilization of natural resources,<\/strong> such as land, water, and forests.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Decentralized Decision-Making: <\/strong>The\u00a0 Act decentralizes decision-making to the Gram Sabha and Panchayats, enabling more localized and contextually relevant governance.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Land Rights and Preventing Alienation:<\/strong> By requiring that any transfer of land in Scheduled Areas must be approved by the Gram Sabha, the PESA Act provides legal safeguards against the alienation of tribal lands.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Ahead<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Strengthen Gram Sabha-Centric Governance: <\/strong>Ensure that implementation of the FRA, 2006 and PESA, 1996 remains rooted in the authority of Gram Sabhas, as envisaged by the laws.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Institutionalize Participatory Decision-Making:<\/strong> Include representatives of tribal communities, traditional forest dwellers, women&#8217;s groups, and civil society organizations in advisory and monitoring mechanisms.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Enhance Transparency and Accountability: <\/strong>Publish regular reports on claims processed, rights recognized, and implementation status.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Establish independent grievance redressal mechanisms accessible to tribal communities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Adopt Cooperative Federal and Constitutional Approaches: <\/strong>States should frame rules and implementation strategies consistent with constitutional protections under the Fifth Schedule and the spirit of tribal self-governance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Effective implementation of FRA and PESA requires balancing administrative efficiency with constitutional principles of tribal self-governance.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Strengthening Gram Sabhas, ensuring community participation, and making task forces accountable to local institutions can help achieve both development and democratic empowerment in Scheduled Areas.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/no-provision-in-forest-rights-act-to-obtain-gram-sabha-consent-for-projects-tribal-affairs-ministry-says\/article71435768.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>TH<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong> Context <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> As per the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MOTA), there is no provision for obtaining consent of the Gram Sabha for Stage-II forest clearance in the Forest Rights Act 2006. <\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong> About <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> MOTA response came amid the deliberations with the Union Ministry of Power over government projects delayed due to the bottleneck of 100% gram sabha consent under the Act. <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> The Law for Forest Clearance: FRA itself does not have the language of Gram Sabha consent specifically with respect to diverting forest land for non-forestry purposes. <\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/07-09-2026\/forest-rights-act-gram-sabha-consent\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-83945","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83945","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=83945"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83945\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":83947,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83945\/revisions\/83947"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=83945"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=83945"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=83945"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}