Lok Sabha Question No. 1749 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-08-01
Subject: Revenue Villages
Ministry: TRIBAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: Dr. Faggan Singh Kulaste

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF TRIBAL AFFAIRS

LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO - †1749

TO BE ANSWERED ON- 01/08/2024

## REVENUE VILLAGES

†1749 DR. FAGGAN SINGH KULASTE:

Will the Minister of TRIBAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has taken any action to declare forest villages as revenue villages; and
- (b) if so, the details and numbers of forest villages declared as revenue villages, State-wise?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR TRIBAL AFFAIRS (SHRI DURGADAS UIKEY)

(a) & (b): The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act" (in short, FRA) enacted in 2006 provides a legal framework for the recognition and vesting the forest rights and occupation in forest land in Forest Dwelling Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers who have been residing in such forests for generations but whose rights could not be recorded to undo the historical injustice occurred to the forest dwelling communities.

The  Act  as  stipulated  under  Section  3(1)  provides  for  recognition  of  13  rights  to  eligible individuals and communities Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers. Among these  section  3(1)  (h)  of  FRA  stipulates  settlement  and  conversion  of  all  forest  villages,  old habitation, unsurveyed villages and other villages in forests, whether recorded, notified or not into revenue villages. Apart from Rule 2A of Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Rules, this Ministry has issued guidelines in 2013 which delineates the procedure for conversion of forest villages into revenue villages by the States and UTs.

Respective State Governments / UT administrations are responsible for implementation of the provisions of the Act.  The status of conversion of forest villages to revenue villages as reported by State Governments is at Annexure.

Annexure referred to in reply to parts (a) and (b) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. †1749 for 01/08/2024 regarding 'Revenue Villages'.

|   S. No | Name of the State   | Forest village to Revenue village (based on information received from State Governments upto 29.07.2024)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     |
|---------|---------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|       1 | Madhya Pradesh      | State Govt. vide their letter No. F- 23-2/2021/25-3/384 dated 22.04.2022 decided to convert 827 villages out of 925 Forest Villages, into revenue villages. In compliance of said decision, Madhya Pradesh Tribal Affairs Department, Revenue Department and Forest Department has jointly issued procedure and guidelines for conversion of Forest Villages into Revenue villages vide letter dated 23-2/2021/25-3/484 dated 26.05.2022. 790 Forest villages converted to Revenue villages. |
|       2 | Maharashtra         | Decided to convert all Forest villages into revenue villages                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 |
|       3 | Chhattisgarh        | 428 Forest villages converted to Revenue villages                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            |
|       4 | West Bengal         | 86 Forest villages converted to Revenue villages                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             |
|       5 | Odisha              | 57 Forest villages converted to Revenue villages                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             |
|       6 | Gujarat             | 196 forest settlement villages have been identified in the State. All villages, except 14 villages in protected areas have been declared as revenue villages.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                |
|       7 | Uttar Pradesh       | Procedure for conversion of 42 forest villages into revenue villages in 7 Districts have been completed.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     |
|       8 | Karnataka           | State Govt. of Karnataka has informed that District Level Committee on Forest Right Act, Davengere district has received 8 forest villages application for conversion of forest villages into revenue village which are under process.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       |

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