Voices rose in one powerful chorus at the National Consultation on Tribal Empowerment, held in Bhubaneshwar, Odisha, from 27 February to 1 March 2026. They said that laws alone do not guarantee empowerment, we need an active community to ensure realisation of the laws on the ground.

Speaking on the occasion Shri Jual Oram, Honourable Minister of Union Minister of Tribal Affairs, congratulated the organisers of the meeting. “I have known the organisers, Adivasi Janjati Adhikar Manch, nurtured by ActionAid India, which has been working for tribal rights for more than two decades now. I wish their efforts all the best and look forward to working with them for advancing the rights of most vulnerable tribal groups in India.”

More than 150 leaders joined from the hills of the Northeast to the forests of central India, from desert communities to coastal regions. They are Adivasi leaders involved in organizing tribal communities, asserting self-governance, and demanding that historical injustice be corrected. They come from19 states representing around 50 tribal communities including bhil, garasiya , gond, kandha, khasi, munda, oram and van gujjar. Amongst them were around 15 particularly vulnerable tribal groups including bonda, ditayi, kolcha, korva, kotwalia, paudi Bhuyan, sabar, sahariya and thoti. The participants are not just individuals but part of social initiatives with thousands and lakhs of people behind them. The three days were full of moments for deep collective reflection and planning for future action.

Discussion reviewed progress of the Forest Rights Act, the promise of jal, jungle, jameen still collides with bureaucratic delay, rejected claims, shrinking land titles, and the steady push of mining, dams, and “conservation” projects. Community Forest Rights remain weakly implemented. Forest villages are still unregularized. Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) struggle against impossible documentation barriers just to prove their existence. And at the heart of it all stand Adivasi women — guardians of forests, keepers of seeds, sustainers of families — whose labour remains invisible and undervalued.

Sandeep Chachra, Executive Director, ActionAid, speaking on the occasion, spoke about the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM-JANMAN), launched on Janjatiya Gaurav Divas on 15th November 2023, and called on participants to help ensure that its objectives are materialised on the ground. “There is a need to go beyond population sizes and averages and focus on deprivations that communities face and hence we need to focus on particularly vulnerable tribal groups (PVTGs) and the lives they are forced to live. Keeping in mind the conditions of PVTG communities we need a proactive campaign led by district magistrates to ensure they are provided habitation rights, as envisaged by the Forest Rights Act. A focus on PVTGs, should be seen as the first step of wider tribal empowerment.”

Sion Kongari, from ActionAid who has been active on tribal issues for decades said: “Today we are celebrating that Forest Rights Act (FRA) is completing 20 years. FRA and PESA are not just laws; they are constitutional foundations for securing both Adivasi empowerment and environmental justice. They represent the Government of India’s commitment to bring social justice to Adivasi communities and to correct historical injustices. It is about recognizing people’s governance. In Jharkhand, people say “Abua Dishum, Abua Raj” (Our land, our rule). In other regions, similar expressions exist. These reflect a deep-rooted vision of self-governance.”