114 Adivasi rights groups and environmental organizations wrote to Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram.
They urged the Ministry to defend the Forest Rights Act (FRA) of 2006, which protects the forest rights of tribal people and traditional forest dwellers.
The FRA was challenged in the Supreme Court in 2008 by NGO Wildlife First, demanding eviction of people with rejected FRA claims.
In 2019, the Supreme Court ordered evictions, but protests led to a stay and a review of rejected claims.
The rights groups claimed that State governments poorly conducted the reviews, with some using technology that undermines Gram Sabhas' authority.
They criticized the reliance on satellite imagery in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, which led to wrongful claim rejections without ground verification.
The Tribal Affairs Ministry also raised concerns about the misuse of technology in implementing FRA.
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