Why India's Forest Rights Act is discriminatory against non-tribals

The overall percentage of claims by non-tribals is very low, at 27%, 30% and 2% of the total claims for Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Odisha respectively

The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act 2006 (FRA) aims to redress the historical injustice that forest-dwellers have experienced, particularly the denial of their rights to forest land and resources. This Act, now ten years into its implementation, recognises individual rights to homestead and agricultural land, as well as community rights to access non-timber forest produce (NTFP) and manage and conserve forest resources. As the name suggests, the eligible forest-dwellers under this Act include individuals and communities of both Scheduled Tribes (STs) as well as non-tribals, knows as Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (OTFDs).

The disparate