(a) the details of the tribal population in reserved and protected forests of the States and Union Territories including Maharashtra, State/UT-wise;
(b) whether the Union Government has received any proposals from the State Government of Maharashtra and other State Governments regarding land settlement of these tribal families;
(c) if so, the details thereof and the action taken by the Government thereon?
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
(SHRI BABUL SUPRIYO)
(a) to(c) The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 (Forest Rights Act, 2006) vests various forest rights on forest lands in the forest dwelling Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers. The Act provides right to hold and live in the forest land under the individual or common occupation for habitation or for self-cultivation for livelihood by a member or members of a forest dwelling Scheduled Tribe or other traditional forest dwellers. The Ministry of Tribal Affairs is the nodal Ministry for the Act and the State Governments are responsible for implementation of various provisions of the Act.
As per information received from the State Governments, a total of 19,20,507 individual titles over an extent of 4,182,274 acres (1.69 million ha) of forest land in the country, including Maharashtra, have been distributed till 31.12.2020 to the Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers. State-wise details of number of such title holders are given in Annexure.
As per the Forest Rights Act, 2006, Gram Sabha is the authority to initiate the process for determining the nature and extent of individual forest rights in the forest dwelling scheduled tribes. Thereafter, Sub-Divisional Level Committee after examining the resolution passed by Gram Sabha forward it to the District Level Committee for a final decision. The decision of the District Level Committee on the record of forest rights are final and binding. The State Level Monitoring Committee constituted by the State Government is the authority to monitor the process of recognition and vesting of forest rights and to submit to the nodal Ministry. Thus, the cases are finally decided by the above respective authorities.
***