Tribal Affairs Ministry Unveils Framework to Protect Forest Dwellers in Tiger Reserves

In October 2025, the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs released a new policy framework titled "Reconciling Conservation and Community Rights: A Policy Framework for Relocation and Co-existence in India's Tiger Reserves." The framework aims to address concerns over the implementation of existing laws governing the relocation of forest-dwelling communities from tiger reserves.

The policy brief reiterates that relocation should be considered a last resort and that the rights of forest-dwelling Scheduled Tribes and others must be settled under the Forest Rights Act (FRA) before any relocation takes place. It also provides mechanisms for these communities to continue residing within tiger reserves and be included in the conservation and management of the biodiversity.

The framework calls for a National Framework for Community-Centred Conservation and Relocation, through which the Environment Ministry and Tribal Affairs Ministry can jointly set procedural standards, timelines, and accountability. It also suggests a National Database on Conservation-Community Interface to track relocations, compensation, and post-relocation status.

The policy document stresses that forest-dwelling communities residing within tiger reserves must have the option to exercise their rights under the FRA to continue living in their traditional forest habitats. It states that the government has an affirmative constitutional duty to safeguard these rights and may not curtail them except upon demonstrable ecological necessity.