Data from the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MOTA) website shows that as on February 2026, Chhattisgarh received 947,479 claims (both individual and community), of which 413,411 claims were rejected and 534,068 titles distributed. Of the distributed ones, 52,636 were community rights (which include CFRR as well as community rights or CR). But the data does not state separate figures for these last two though both are granted to gram sabhas.
Sharachchandra Lele, distinguished fellow at ATREE which works on CFRR in Chhattisgarh, said it is a fact that in the past one-and-a-half years, many CFRR claims have been pending. This coincides with the timeline when anti-Maoist operations intensified.
“Of the 52,636 titles (MOTA data), a vast majority (about 48,000) are trivial community rights or CR given over playgrounds and burials, or multiple titles for grazing, nistar (customary and traditional rights) and minor forest produce collection over the same patch of forest in the same villages, as it was made mandatory to distribute five CR titles in each village. But the figure for CFRR, which is management rights for villages, is 4,396 by May 2025 (as stated in the Vidhan Sabha) and has been stagnant for two years with miniscule progress in the state and zero progress in Bastar,” he said.
According to the FRA Atlas published by the Chhattisgarh Tribal and Scheduled Caste Department, the number of villages with CFRR potential is 11,450. CFRR is more important than CR which is given to communities to manage forest. “So, a progress from 4,307 (as per April 2024 data presented to MOTA) to 4,396 (till date) is a matter of great concern,” Lele added.
According to data shared by the Chhattisgarh Vanadhikar Manch, a public forum on FRA, 112 CFRR claims are pending across Bastar, Sukma, Dantewada, Narayanpur and Kanker districts in the Bastar region, with Sukma being the highest with 54 pending claims. Sukma was considered one of the worst affected LWE (Left-wing Extremism) districts in Bastar sub-division, along with Narayanpur and Bijapur.
Gangaram Paikra, based in Surguja district of northern Chhattisgarh, said CFRR claims are pending in mining areas such as the Bastar region and Surguja. If CFRR claims were recognised, the consent of gram sabhas would be required for mining or for granting mining leases. This is true under the under the Panchayat (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act or PESA, also. “The aim seems to be to weaken gram sabhas which FRA seeks to empower. Sometimes, the panchayat sachiv (secretary), who is supposed to support the gram sabha level Gram Adhikar Samiti (village rights committee), does not take the claims forward.”
Mining vs forest rights
The focus on mining means that the recognition of FRA claims has become a secondary concern. While northern Chhattisgarh areas like Surguja and Raigarh are rich in coal, the Bastar region has iron ore reserves, especially in the Rowghat and the Bailadla hills. In Chhattisgarh, 200,000 people are directly involved in mining, and two million are indirectly involved.
In Khodgaon village which lies near the Rowghat mines in Bastar region, the CFRR claim is still pending, said social activist Keshav Sori, who runs the non-profit DISHA. When this reporter visited Khodgaon in 2022, the village awaited the approval of CFRR. “Anjrel, a small village on the top of the hill in Rowghat, received the CFRR title in 2023. But the CFRR claim which was placed for Khodgaon in 2022 is pending. Khodgaon already faces disruption due to mining activity as a result of ore transportation,” Sori said.
A social worker, who works in the Bastar region with tribal communities, explained that the March 31 deadline was a setting to exploit forests and develop mines. “How was it even possible to share a cut-off date beforehand? The tribals had always been caught in a flux between the police, missionaries and insurgents. But since the deadline was announced, many encounters and surrenders happened,” he remarked on the condition of anonymity.
According to data shared by a forest officer under FCA cases, the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, from 2001 to 2022, 13,925 hectares of forest was diverted for mining in Chhattisgarh. A PPT on mining shared last year in August shows 0.26 per cent (16,000 hectares) of the total forest area of the state (5.982 million hectares) is impacted by over-ground mining. The Bastar region has 30 major iron ore deposits.
Bhupesh Tiwai, a social worker based in Kondagaon district, said in many villages, the sentiment is that minerals would now be exploited on a bigger scale. There’s also a huge concern that to promote tourism, big hotels will come up. To promote tourism across Bastar, many homestays have already been developed. “But homestays also change the local culture. The residents can get influenced by outside lifestyle, as tourists flock to the region, which is more negative than positive,” Tiwari said.
Police reaction: Towards a Maoist-free era
For decades, tribals in Chhattisgarh had been caught between the devil and the deep sea. Mukesh Kumar Potai, whom the reporter met last year in September at the Dev Hills Nature Resort, had shared that one of his relatives was killed in 2009 after he refused to join the insurgents.
“At times, casualties happened when village residents were mistaken for insurgents. After all, they often entered forests for the collection of minor forest produce (MFPs).” Potai said. His statement regarding the minor forest collection makes it clear that for tribals, forests are an important source of livelihood. In Chhattisgarh, there are 36-60 different types of MFPs.
