Recognition of Community Forest Resource Rights must be matched by the capacity to exercise them. Discuss in the context of Gram Sabha-led forest governance and the integration of CFR management plans with Forest Department working plans.

Section 3(1)(i) of the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006 gives communities the right to protect, regenerate, conserve and manage their community forest resource. Section 5 makes the Gram Sabha its custodian [6]. At the Kolkata FRA review (October 2026), the Secretary of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) said this right "must be matched by the capacity to exercise it" [1]. A title on paper does not by itself bring self-governance.

Gap between recognition and capacity

• Titles far outnumber plans: About 1.14 lakh community titles covering about 1.33 crore acres had been granted by 2023 [3]. Yet only 920 CFR management plans have been approved under DA-JGUA [2].
• Technical deficit: Gram Sabhas usually lack the skills to survey resources, map them and plan harvests. In practice, the Forest Department keeps managing the forest.
• Market barriers: The National Committee on FRA asked for an end to the forest corporations' monopoly over minor forest produce (MFP) and for exemption from transit permits [4]. Without these, communities cannot earn from the rights they hold.
• Records gap: Rights not entered in revenue and forest records cannot be enforced. This led to MoTA's June 2026 advisory [1].

Integrating CFR plans with Forest Department working plans

• Merits: A joint MoTA–MoEFCC advisory lets CFR plans be combined with Forest Department working plans, while the Gram Sabha keeps central authority [1]. This avoids parallel, conflicting plans and brings in the department's scientific expertise and funds.
• Risks: The two sides are unequal. The department has trained staff and money, while the Gram Sabha usually has neither, so a joint plan can quietly follow departmental priorities. That would reduce the Gram Sabha to an advisory role, which defeats the purpose of Section 5.

Building capacity

• 433 FRA Cells have been sanctioned in 20 States under DA-JGUA [2]. The scheme also funds Gram Sabha training and CFR plans [1].
• States should complete digitisation on the National FRA Portal and train Gram Sabhas through Tribal Research Institutes [1].
• Any integrated plan should require Gram Sabha approval. The Forest Department should act as a technical partner, not the decision-maker.

Recognition, capacity and authority must move together. With funded FRA Cells, open MFP markets and plans that the Gram Sabha controls, CFR rights can become real self-governance. This would serve the FRA's aim of undoing historical injustice, and the SDG 15 goal of sustainable forest management.