Lalit Shastri
A law meant to restore justice to genuine forest dwellers has, in Madhya Pradesh, been twisted into a political tool — fuelling encroachments, destroying forests, and raising hard questions about who truly benefits.
Satellite images may not lie, but in the hands of politicians, even the truth can be bent to serve an agenda.”
The Recognition of Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006, officially titled The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, was enacted to correct historical injustices faced by tribal communities and other forest dwellers; its intent was to recognise legitimate rights over forest land and resources, while ensuring the protection and regeneration of forests. In Madhya Pradesh, however, this landmark legislation has been reduced to a cynical instrument of vote-bank politics, fuelling encroachment, ecological destruction, and political patronage.
On August 4, 2025, when Madhya Pradesh’s Tribal Welfare Minister Vijay Shah told the Assembly that the state would now use satellite imagery to verify FRA claims based on the status of land as of December 13, 2005, it was presented as a pioneering reform; in truth, it was an admission of years of failure. Had this transparent, technology-driven approach been adopted in 2006, genuine beneficiaries could have received their titles by 2010; disputes would not have dragged on for nearly two decades; forests would have been spared from relentless encroachments; and the exchequer would not have been drained by repeated “special campaigns” designed more for political mileage than justice.
Instead, over the last fifteen years, forest land in Madhya Pradesh has been distributed in a manner that defies both environmental logic and the spirit of the law; vast swathes of natural forest have been destroyed; illegal settlements have mushroomed; organised land-grabbing has been legitimised; and political loyalty, not genuine entitlement, has become the passport to ownership. Official figures show that 2.3 lakh forest rights titles have been issued, covering 3.7 lakh hectares—numbers that mask a troubling reality of manipulation, forged claims, and bureaucratic collusion.
The FRA was never intended to be a political free-for-all; it was meant to safeguard the rights of tribal communities who have protected and depended on forests for generations; yet in Madhya Pradesh, it has been weaponised for electoral gain; encroachers—many with no traditional or legal claim—have been rewarded for their ability to deliver votes; genuine forest dwellers have often been sidelined. Now, satellite imagery is being promoted as the final arbiter, but will it be applied impartially—or used to retroactively legitimise years of politically driven allotments?
The ecological damage is irreversible in human lifetimes; forests are not mere survey plots, they are biodiversity hotspots, water security anchors, and carbon sinks essential for climate resilience; their destruction is an environmental crime for which someone must be held accountable. Will ministers, bureaucrats, and local leaders who enabled this plunder face consequences; or will the devastation be buried under the green-washed narrative of “tribal welfare” and “development”?
If satellite imagery is to mean anything, it must be paired with a ruthless review of all titles issued so far; fraudulent claims must be scrapped, regardless of political cost; and those responsible for facilitating encroachments must face prosecution. Anything less will be a whitewash.
The FRA was envisioned as a law of justice; in Madhya Pradesh, its delay, distortion, and misuse have turned it into an instrument of injustice—against the forest, against genuine tribal communities, and against future generations. Satellite images may not lie, but the people interpreting them can bend the truth; without accountability, the state’s forests will continue to fall—not to the axe, but to the greed and cynicism of its political class.
Fact Check: FRA in Madhya Pradesh
Year FRA Enacted: 2006 (The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act)
Implementation Delay: Nearly 19 years to adopt satellite imagery verification, which could have been in place from the start
Forest Rights Titles Issued: 2,30,000
Forest Land Allocated: 3,70,000 hectares
Major Concerns:
– Large-scale encroachment legitimised through politically motivated claims
– Destruction of natural forest cover leading to biodiversity loss and environmental degradation
– Genuine tribal beneficiaries sidelined in favour of politically connected claimants
– Repeated “special verification campaigns” costing crores without resolving disputes
Core Question: Will satellite imagery be used for genuine verification, or as a tool to validate past political allotments?
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