Lok Sabha Question No. 2487 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-07-31
Subject: Population of Forest Villages
Ministry: TRIBAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: ANSHUL VERMA

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA (MINISTRY OF TRIBAL AFFAIRS)

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2487

TO BE ANSWERED ON 31.7.2017

## POPULATION OF FOREST VILLAGES

## 2487.   SHRI ANSHUL VERMA :

Will the Minister of TRIBAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) the total number of tribals and other traditional dwellers living in forest villages in the country, State/UT-wise;
- (b) whether the Government is aware of tribal and other traditional dwellers living in forest villages that are denied the privileges under the Forest Land Area Act and if so, the details in this regard; and
- (c) the measures taken or proposed to be taken by Government to recognize such village as revenue villages and give their entitlements?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF TRIBAL AFFAIRS (SHRI JASWANTSINH BHABHOR)

- (a): As per Census 2011, State/UT-wisetotal population and Scheduled Tribe population of Forest Villages in the countryare given at Annexure 1 .
- (b): The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act,  2006 (in  short  FRA)  has  been  enacted  to  recognize  and  record  rights  of  forest  dwellers  who have been residing in such forests for generations and whose rights could not be recorded; and also to empower them and their community institutions as statutory authorities with the power to protect and manage forests.
- (c): This Ministry has issued guidelines, in compliance of Section 3 (1) (h) of 'The Scheduled Tribes  and  Other  Traditional  Forest  Dwellers  (Recognition  of  Forest  Rights)  Act,  2006,  on conversion  of  forest  villages,  old  habitations,  unsurveyed  villages  in  forests,  whether  recorded, notified or not into revenue villages vide letter No.23011/33/2010-FRA dated 08.11.2013. Status of conversion of Forest Villages to Revenue Villages based on the information received from the State Governments is given at Annexure 2 .

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## Annexure  1  referred  to  part  (a)  of  LokSabha  Unstarred  Question  No.  2487  for  31.07.2017 regarding 'Population of Forest Villages'.

State wise Number and Population of Forest Villages

| State Code   | India/State/UT      | No. of Forest Villages   | Population   | Scheduled Tribe Population   |
|--------------|---------------------|--------------------------|--------------|------------------------------|
|              | INDIA               | 4,526                    | 22,06,011    | 13,32,265                    |
| 01           | Jammu &Kashmir      | 41                       | 82,652       | 56,539                       |
| 02           | Himachal Pradesh    | 0                        | 0            | 0                            |
| 03           | Punjab              | 0                        | 0            | 0                            |
| 04           | Chandigarh          | 0                        | 0            | 0                            |
| 05           | Uttarakhand         | 421                      | 1,87,432     | 2,538                        |
| 06           | Haryana             | 0                        | 0            | 0                            |
| 07           | NCT of Delhi        | 0                        | 0            | 0                            |
| 08           | Rajasthan           | 0                        | 0            | 0                            |
| 09           | Uttar Pradesh       | 89                       | 44,178       | 1,523                        |
| 10           | Bihar               | 0                        | 0            | 0                            |
| 11           | Sikkim              | 51                       | 3,691        | 893                          |
| 12           | Arunachal Pradesh   | 0                        | 0            | 0                            |
| 13           | Nagaland            | 0                        | 0            | 0                            |
| 14           | Manipur             | 0                        | 0            | 0                            |
| 15           | Mizoram             | 0                        | 0            | 0                            |
| 16           | Tripura             | 0                        | 0            | 0                            |
| 17           | Meghalaya           | 0                        | 0            | 0                            |
| 18           | Assam               | 897                      | 7,65,098     | 3,29,445                     |
| 19           | West Bengal         | 0                        | 0            | 0                            |
| 20           | Jharkhand           | 14                       | 6,575        | 5,762                        |
| 21           | Orissa              | 47                       | 2,544        | 2,120                        |
| 22           | Chhattisgarh        | 658                      | 2,17,123     | 1,79,423                     |
| 23           | Madhya Pradesh      | 1165                     | 7,37,837     | 6,35,671                     |
| 24           | Gujarat             | 162                      | 38,047       | 29,624                       |
| 25           | Daman &Diu          | 0                        | 0            | 0                            |
| 26           | Dadra &Nagar Haveli | 0                        | 0            | 0                            |
| 27           | Maharashtra         | 73                       | 81,675       | 80,181                       |
| 28           | Andhra Pradesh      | 3                        | 341          | 341                          |
| 29           | Karnataka           | 0                        | 0            | 0                            |
| 30           | Goa                 | 0                        | 0            | 0                            |
| 31           | Lakshadweep         | 0                        | 0            | 0                            |
| 32           | Kerala              | 0                        | 0            | 0                            |
| 33           | Tamil Nadu          | 736                      | 23,125       | 7,764                        |
| 34           | Puducherry          | 0                        | 0            | 0                            |
| 35           | A &NIslands         | 169                      | 15,693       | 441                          |

Source: Primary Census Abstract, 2011

Annexure  2  referred  to  part  (c)  of  LokSabha  Unstarred  Question  No.  2487  for  31.07.2017 regarding 'Population of Forest Villages'.

## Status of conversion of  Forest Villages  to Revenue Villages as per  Forest Rights Act,2006 based on the  information received  from the State Governments.

|   S.No | Name of the State   | Forest village to Revenue village                                                                         |
|--------|---------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|      1 | Madhya Pradesh      | 925 Forest Villages to be converted to Revenue Villages                                                   |
|      2 | Maharashtra         | All Forest villages are in the process of conversion into revenue villages                                |
|      3 | Chhattisgarh        | 421 Forest villages converted to Revenue villages                                                         |
|      4 | West Bengal         | 86 Forest villages converted to Revenue villages                                                          |
|      5 | Odisha              | Recorded 22 Forest Villages and unsurveyed habitations identified for being converted to Revenue villages |
|      6 | Gujarat             | 175 have been identified for conversion to Revenue villages                                               |
|      7 | Uttar Pradesh       | 6 have been converted to Revenue Villages.                                                                |