The Jammu Kashmir government has rejected most claims under the Forest Rights Act (FRA), approving only 6,020 titles across 20 districts, covering 3,312 hectares of forest land, the government said.
A heated exchange erupted in the Assembly when Forest Minister Javed Rana assured that Tribals, including Gujjars and Bakerwals, would be protected under the FRA. BJP leader Sham Lal Sharma accused him of misrepresenting the Act, arguing that it applies only to landless individuals. Outside the Assembly, JKNC leader Tanvir Sadiq criticized the BJP for opposing a law they had extended to Jammu Kashmir.
Of the 22,720 individual claims by Forest Dwelling Scheduled Tribes (FDST), only 430 were accepted, while all 10,198 claims by Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (OTFD) were approved. In total, 84.16 hectares were distributed for individual claims. Additionally, 4,277 community claims by FDST resulted in the allocation of 3,189.13 hectares, while OTFD received 39.67 hectares from 96 accepted claims.
Since 2019, FRA claims have been processed at the Gram Sabha, Sub-Divisional, and District Level Committees. Of the 46,090 claims submitted, 6,058 were approved, 39,906 were rejected—primarily due to lack of evidence—and 126 remain pending.
The majority of the 6,020 forest land titles were granted in Jammu, with Rajouri (2,852) and Poonch (1,902) receiving the highest allocations. Kashmir saw significantly fewer approvals, with only a single title issued in Baramulla and none in Srinagar.
Meanwhile, the government said it reclaimed 594.74 hectares of encroached forest land in Kashmir since 2022-23, but 5,868.65 hectares remain occupied. In Jammu, 224.24 hectares were recovered, while 13,618.52 hectares are still encroached.
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