The Prime Minister has written to the Chief Ministers of all the states reminding them of the need for speedy and effective implementation of the Scheduled Tribes and Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006. The Prime Minister has urged the Chief Ministers to give personal attention to expedite action on the matter to ensure that a very vulnerable section of the population of the country gets its basic rights over land which has historically been in its possession.

The text of the Prime Minister's letter is as follows:

New Delhi

26 July, 2008

As you might recollect, vide my earlier letter of 8 January, 2008, I drew your attention to the need for speedy implementation of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 as it is primarily the responsibility of the State Governments to ensure that a very vulnerable section of the population of our country finally gets its basic rights over the land which has historically been in its possession.

A review by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India done recently shows that while some States have moved ahead, some others are yet to complete activities related to filing of claims etc. Needless to stress, it is important for those States which have large tribal populations to ensure that the opportunity through this landmark legislation is not missed and every genuine claimant is provided with title deeds. As your State has a large population of Scheduled Tribes and Other Forest Dwellers, I request you to give your personal attention to this matter and ensure that the activities relating to implementation of this Act are expedited.

With warm regards,

Yours sincerely,

Manmohan Singh

To all Chief Ministers