New Delhi, July 1 -- A statement by the Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav blaming forest degradation on titles granted under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 has sparked outrage among civil society groups, who called it a dangerous misrepresentation of the law and a veiled attack on the rights of Adivasis.

In a letter submitted to the Prime Minister's Office on June 28, 2025, 151 groups accused the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) of "consistently subverting" FRA through misleading claims, executive overreach and actions that threaten the constitutional and legal rights of forest-dwelling communities.

The letter stated that th...