---
title: "Forest Rights Act, 2006 — Definition & Meaning"
description: "The Forest Rights Act, 2006 recognizes individual and community forest rights for Scheduled Tribes and traditional forest dwellers in India."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/forest-rights-act-2006"
---

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Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026

TL;DR

- The Forest Rights Act, 2006 is an Indian statute that recognises and vests individual and community forest rights in Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers.
- What is the cut-off date for Other Traditional Forest Dwellers under the FRA?
- Which ministry is the nodal authority for the Forest Rights Act?
- What did Wildlife First v. Union of India (2019) hold?
- What is a Community Forest Resource right under Section 3(1)(i)?

[Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated June 22, 2026

The Forest Rights Act, 2006 is an Indian statute that recognises and vests individual and community forest rights in Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers.

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## Timeline

1. 31 December 2007

   Brought into force from with the Forest Rights Rules notified in 2008 (amended 2012), the Act recognises pre-existing rights rather than granting new ones.

2. 13 December 2005

   Its beneficiaries are Forest Dwelling Scheduled Tribes (FDST) and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (OTFD), the latter defined as those who have primarily re…

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In 2013 the twelve Gram Sabhas of the Niyamgiri hills in Odisha, exercising community forest rights under the Act, unanimously rejected Vedanta Resources' proposed bauxite mining, a decision the Supreme Court had mandated be referred to them.

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