Protecting Tribal Livelihoods and Cultural Rights in Rajasthan with special reference to Meena Tribe

Rajasthan has diverse landscapes ranging from arid deserts to lush forests with a vibrant culture. It is also the motherland of 32 notified Scheduled Tribes in Rajasthan. Some of these are the Meena, the Bhils, the Sahariya, the Garasia and many more tribes that have a renowned existence in the state and have spent centuries in the forest. Over the years, such communities have been going through oppression and injustice, which have impacted their livelihood. Thus, to safeguard their traditions and cultures,’ the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, also known as the Forest Rights Act, 2006, was enacted and considered one of the landmark legislations of Indian legal system that aims at empowering forest dweller communities, including tribals. This paper examines the implementation challenges of the act, specifically in Rajasthan, focusing mainly on the Meena tribe. The paper addresses such challenges in three folds, beginning with the legislative history of the act. The significance of the functioning of the act in Rajasthan, and lastly, the research also investigates the potential of the Forest Rights Act of 2006 to promote tribal livelihoods and cultural preservation while upholding constitutional rights.