SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir government has appointed the Tribal Affairs Department as the nodal agency for implementing the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, replacing the Forest Department.
In a post on X, the Office of the Chief Minister said the decision fulfils a long-pending demand of the Union Territory’s tribal communities.
It stated that shifting nodal responsibility to the Tribal Affairs Department would ensure more effective implementation of the Act and better protection of tribal rights.
The Forest Rights Act (FRA) recognises individual and community rights over forest land and resources for Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers. The legislation became applicable to Jammu and Kashmir only after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.
