J&K’s Forest Rights Act: Policy, politics and promised relief

#JammuJournal: New guidelines seek to balance conservation with rights of tribal communities

Our Correspondent

Jammu, Updated At : 06:54 AM Aug 22, 2026 IST

An anti-encroachment drive conducted by the Forest Department on its land near Mahamaya Temple in Jammu. PTI FILE

FoR forest-dwelling communities of Jammu and Kashmir, particularly the Gujjars and Bakerwals, the recent government guidelines regarding the Forest Rights Act, 2006, have come as a relief amid anti-encroachment drives to remove illegal occupation of forest land around Jammu city.

THE TRIBUNE, India’s oldest, daily English-language newspaper, was first published on February 2, 1881, in Lahore (now in Pakistan), and save for 40 days in the immediate aftermath of Partition, has come out every day over the last 145 years. THE TRIBUNE was started by Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia, a public-spirited philanthropist of the time. The newspaper is run by a five-member Trust, which is chaired by Shri N N Vohra, former Governor of J&K State (2008-2018); as well as Justice S S Sodhi, former Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court; Shri Gurbachan Jagat, former Governor of Manipur; Lt Gen. Shamsher Singh Mehta, former Western Army Commander; Shri Paramjit Singh Patwalia, Senior Advocate in the Supreme Court.

THE TRIBUNE is free, objective, and independent. Restraint and moderation, rather than agitational language, are the hallmarks of the paper.

The Tribune has two sister publications, Punjabi Tribune (in Punjabi) and Dainik Tribune (in Hindi).

Remembering Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia

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J&K’s Forest Rights Act: Policy, politics and promised relief

#JammuJournal: New guidelines seek to balance conservation with rights of tribal communities

Arjun Sharma

Our Correspondent

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