Why in News ?
Immediate Context
- Thousands of tribals from Palghar and Nashik undertook long marches in January 2026 demanding land titles, irrigation support, and livelihood security, over pending forest rights.
- Protests gained traction as both districts have high tribal populations and long-standing grievances over land ownership recognition and welfare access.
Relevance
GS II — Polity & Social Justice
- FRA 2006, PESA 1996, Fifth Schedule — tribal rights and governance.
- Welfare delivery, land rights, and inclusion of STs.
GS III — Environment
- Forest governance, conservation vs livelihood debate.
- Community-based natural resource management.
Background — Tribal Land & Forest Rights
Constitutional Foundation
- Fifth Schedule mandates protection of tribal land and self-governance in Scheduled Areas, recognising historical injustice and need for cultural–economic safeguards.
- Article 244 provides administrative framework for Scheduled Areas, while PESA Act 1996 empowers Gram Sabhas over natural resource management.
Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006
- FRA recognises Individual Forest Rights (IFR), Community Forest Rights (CFR), and habitat rights of Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers.
- Objective is to correct historical injustice caused by colonial forest laws that alienated tribals from customary lands.
Core Issues Behind Protests
Land Title Concerns
- Tribals allege that titles issued contain incorrect formats, joint listings, or partial land recognition, restricting access to credit, schemes, and legal security.
- Many cultivators received titles for only fraction of land actually tilled, creating livelihood uncertainty.
High Rejection Rates
- Over 45% FRA claims rejected in Maharashtra, raising concerns about verification processes and interpretation standards.
- Out of 3,80,966 disposed claims, only 2,08,335 titles granted while 1,72,631 rejected, indicating significant exclusion.
Digitisation & Record Gaps
- Digitisation of land records reportedly caused mismatches between ground reality and official data, leading to claim denials and procedural delays.
Livelihood & Development Demands
Irrigation & Agriculture
- Protestors demand small dams and river-linking to divert west-flowing rivers for irrigating drought-prone eastern belts, enabling multi-cropping and income stability.
- Irrigation seen as critical for reducing dependence on rain-fed farming and seasonal migration.
Employment & Education
- Secure land rights linked to eligibility for institutional loans, schemes, and education benefits, making FRA implementation central to socio-economic mobility.
Governance & Policy Dimension
Implementation Deficit
- FRA implementation varies across States due to bureaucratic caution, forest department resistance, and differing interpretations of eligibility criteria.
- Gap exists between legal recognition and ground-level enforcement.
Ideological Tension
- Ecologist Madhav Gadgil noted tension between fortress conservation model and FRA’s community-based conservation vision.
- Debate framed as “conservation versus forest rights” reflects policy mindset conflict.
