Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant Chairs High-Level Meeting on Forest Rights Claims at Mantralaya, Porvorim
Porvorim, 4th June 2025 — In a significant step towards resolving long-pending Forest Rights Claims (FRC) under the Forest Rights Act (FRA) 2006, Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant chaired a high-level meeting today at Mantralaya, Porvorim. The meeting was convened in the presence of Chief Secretary Puneet Kumar Goel, senior Secretaries, Collectors of North and South Goa, Director of Tribal Welfare, senior Forest Department officials, DCF DSLR officials, Nodal Officers, and other stakeholders.
The primary focus of the meeting was to take stock of the current status of claims filed across North and South Goa and to push for expediting the process of claim verifications and approvals.
Key Highlights from the Meeting:
👉🏼 Status Review of Claims:
The Chief Minister reviewed the progress made so far in both districts and directed Block Development Officers (BDOs) to accelerate the process of preparing and submitting FRC claim files at the Gram Sabha and Sub-Divisional Level Committees (SDLCs).
👉🏼 Upcoming Camps on 14th June:
To fast-track pending Gram Sabha cases, special camps will be held on 14th June in Canacona, Quepem, Sanguem, Ponda, and Sattari. These camps aim to assist local communities in resolving their FRC applications and associated documentation issues.
👉🏼 Special Gram Sabha & SDLC Meetings:
A Special Gram Sabha will be organized on 21st June, dedicated entirely to Forest Rights Claims. In addition, SDLC meetings on 19th June will focus specifically on addressing the backlog of pending FRC cases.
👉🏼 Distribution of Sanads:
The distribution of Sanads (land title certificates) will begin on 9th June as part of the Sankalp Se Siddhi program. As of now, 2,309 Sanads are ready for immediate distribution. The government has set an ambitious target to close 10,000 FRC cases by 19th December 2025.
Government’s Commitment
Addressing the gathering, Chief Minister Dr. Sawant reaffirmed the government’s dedication to resolving all genuine claims through coordinated and time-bound efforts. “We are committed to empowering our tribal and forest-dwelling communities by ensuring that rightful land claims are recognized and formalized without unnecessary delays,” he said.
The meeting concluded with a strong message of administrative resolve and cross-departmental coordination to ensure justice and recognition of forest rights as enshrined under FRA 2006.
