Jairam Ramesh Raises Concerns Over Planned Weakening of Forest Rights Act

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh Saturday raised serious concerns over the planned weakening of the Forest Rights Act, 2006, citing a letter written by 150 civil society organizations and social activists to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The letter, dated June 26, 2025, expresses serious concerns over the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change’s plans to dilute the Act.

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“The Ministry of Tribal Affairs has now sought clarification from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change regarding the basis on which and why the Forest Survey of India (FSI) held the Forest Rights Act, 2006 responsible for the damage to good-quality forest areas,” Ramesh pointed out in a post shared on handle X.

The Forest Rights Act, 2006, recognizes and vests the forest rights and occupation in forest land to forest-dwelling Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers who have been residing in such forests for generations.

The planned weakening of the Act has sparked concerns among civil society organizations and social activists, who fear it could have severe implications for forest-dwelling communities and the environment.

Ramesh’s comments come amid ongoing debates over the role of the Forest Survey of India and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in protecting India’s forests and the rights of forest-dwelling communities.