The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006
Administered Ministry: Ministry of Tribal Affairs
Act details
| Short title | The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 |
|---|---|
| Long title | An Act to recognise and vest the forest rights and occupation in forest land in forest dwelling Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers who have been residing in such forests for generations but whose rights could not be recorded; to provide for a framework for recording the forest rights so vested and the nature of evidence required for such recognition and vesting in respect of forest land. |
| Act number | 2 of 2007 |
| Act year | 2007 |
| Enactment date | 29 Dec 2006 |
| Ministry | Ministry of Tribal Affairs |
| Jurisdiction | Central (Parliament of India) |
| Sections | 14 |
| Status | Not repealed |
| Last checked on India Code | 29 Oct 2026 |
| Source | India Code, Government of India |
Legislative history
Legislative History:
The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006
Short Title The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006
Act Number / Year Act No. 2 of 2007
Act ID (India Code) 200702
Presidential Assent / Enactment Date December 29, 2006
Enforcement Date December 31, 2007
Administrative Nodal Ministry Ministry of Tribal Affairs
Precedent & Statutory Rationale
1. Redressing Historical Injustice:
o Prior to the enactment of the 2006 legislation, forest management frameworks in India largely rooted in colonial-era legislations such as the Indian Forest Act, 1927 failed to recognize the symbiotic relationship between forest-dwelling communities and forest ecosystems.
o Forest-dwelling Scheduled Tribes (FDSTs) and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (OTFDs) were systematically treated as encroachers on their ancestral lands, resulting in widespread tenurial insecurity, arbitrary evictions, and a failure to record customary rights during the consolidation of state forests.
2. Constitutional and Livelihood Mandate:
o The law was formulated to correct these historical injustices, guarantee livelihood and food security, and legally vest forest rights recognizing that the conservation regime is strengthened when local communities are empowered as stewards of biodiversity and ecological balance.
Parliamentary Trajectory & Enactment
• Formulation: Piloted and finalized by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs following extensive legislative deliberations, civil society advocacy, and inputs from a Joint Parliamentary Committee.
• Parliamentary Passage: Tabled, rigorously debated, and passed by both Houses of Parliament in December 2006.
• Presidential Assent: Received formal Presidential Assent on December 29, 2006, entering the statute book as Act No. 2 of 2007.
• Enforcement: Enforced on December 31, 2007.
• Source: India Code and Ministry of Tribal Affairs Official Records