Nearly 45 per cent of India’s tiger reserves continue to have pending claims under the Forest Rights Act (FRA), with Telangana accounting for the largest share, according to the National Tiger Conservation Authority’s (NTCA) STRIDES 2026 report.
The report reveals that while 32 tiger reserves have disposed of all FRA claims, 26 reserves still have pending applications. Of the 58 tiger reserves in the country, these pending claims stand at 83,765.
The Kawal Tiger Reserve in Telangana alone accounts for 53,688 pending applications, nearly 64 per cent of the total pending claims across all tiger reserves. Other reserves with substantial backlogs include Amrabad Tiger Reserve in Telangana (6,852 applications), Kanha Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh (6,048), and Achanakmar Tiger Reserve in Chhattisgarh (3,549).
An FRA application seeks legal recognition of traditional rights over forest land and resources under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006.
The findings assume significance in the backdrop of data presented by Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Durga Das Uikey in the Rajya Sabha in March. The minister informed Parliament that 5.88 lakh FRA claims remain pending across the country, including 5.70 lakh individual claims and over 18,000 community claims. Telangana, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat account for the largest share of the backlog.
The NTCA report also flags delays in notifying Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZs) around tiger reserves. Half of the country’s tiger reserves are still awaiting final ESZ notifications, with no new ESZ being notified since 2025. The ESZs serve as buffer areas around protected forests, regulating developmental activities and helping minimise human-wildlife conflict.
According to the report, only 29 of India’s 58 tiger reserves have notified ESZs, while the remaining 29 are at different stages of the notification process.
Rajasthan has the highest number of tiger reserves without notified ESZs, followed by Assam, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
The Environment Ministry attributed the delay to pending consultations with stakeholders, examination by expert committees and proposal processing. The NTCA observed that most pending ESZ proposals are moving through various stages, including draft notifications, public consultations and expert scrutiny. Existing ESZ notifications for tiger reserves were issued between 2012 and 2024.
Besides highlighting pending FRA claims and ESZ notifications, the report stresses the importance of community participation, conservation education and voluntary village relocation in strengthening tiger conservation across the country.
