New Delhi, Sept. 8 -- The Congress on Tuesday termed as "shocking" the alleged shift in the stance of the tribal ministry on the consent role of the Gram Sabha under the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006, and said it reflected a serious misunderstanding of the law and an abdication of the Ministry's statutory responsibility.
The Opposition party said that the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) cannot simply distance itself from the operation of the FRA, 2006, as doing so would not only undermine the statutory scheme of the FRA but also make a mockery of the law and of the communities it was enacted to protect.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said on August 31, 2026, the tribal affairs ministry communicated to the Union Ministry of Power that there was no provision in the FRA, 2006 requiring Gram Sabha consent for projects involving diversion of forest land for non-forest purposes, and that "such matters" therefore fell outside its jurisdiction.
"This shocking stance of the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs reflects a serious misunderstanding of the law and an abdication of the Ministry's statutory responsibility," Ramesh said in a statement. It is particularly concerning because it contradicts the ministry's own earlier guidelines and communications, the former environment minister said.
"Is it under pressure from the Modani conglomerate and other mining companies?
In its letter dated July 12, 2012, to state governments, the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) had clarified how Section 4 of the FRA, 2006 was required to be complied with before the diversion of forest land and relocation of forest-dwelling communities," Ramesh said.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.