Seasonal Migration of Van Gujjar Tribal Community

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) informed that it had issued letters on 5 June 2025 to the Uttarakhand state government and the district administrations of Dehradun, Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Chamoli, Udham Singh Nagar, Haridwar, Pauri Garhwal, Nainital and Tehri Garhwal concerning the seasonal migration of the Van Gujjar tribal community. The Tribal Welfare Department of Uttarakhand acknowledged the matter and instructed the concerned districts to resolve the issues. MoTA has repeatedly urged state and UT administrations to ensure that no legitimate beneficiary is denied forest rights, including traditional seasonal resource access of nomadic or pastoralist communities as provided under Forest Rights Act (FRA) Section 3(1)(d).