MoTA Advances AI-Driven FRA Digital Platform Through Smart India Hackathon 2025

To operationalise these initiatives beyond the ideation stage, MoTA launched a structured post-Hackathon engagement programme.

In line with its commitment to strengthen digital governance of the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) has taken major steps toward developing an integrated, end-to-end digital platform for effective FRA implementation, monitoring and decision-making. These steps include advancing AI, geospatial technologies, and decision-support systems through national innovation initiatives.

As part of this effort, the Innovation Cell of the Ministry of Education launched the 8th edition of the Smart India Hackathon (SIH) 2025, inviting student-driven technological solutions for complex governance challenges. Under the Software category, MoTA submitted a problem statement for the development of an AI-powered FRA Atlas and a WebGIS-based Decision Support System (DSS) to enable integrated monitoring of:

• Individual Forest Rights (IFR)

• Community Rights (CR)

• Community Forest Resource (CFR) Rights

These digital tools form part of a broader roadmap that includes FRA record digitization, geotagging, spatial convergence, and strengthened transparency mechanisms.

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Post-Hackathon Engagement Begins With Field Validation in Maharashtra

To operationalise these initiatives beyond the ideation stage, MoTA launched a structured post-Hackathon engagement programme.

Meeting at Nashik Collector Office – 2 January 2026

A key meeting brought together:

• Officials of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs

• Maharashtra State Tribal Development Department

• Participating SIH student teams from Pune, Kurnool and Indore

The Maharashtra government demonstrated the Maharashtra FRA Portal, showcasing:

• Its digital architecture and functional features

• Real-time monitoring tools

• Integrative workflows for FRA implementation

• Success stories of patta holders

• District- and state-level progress in FRA execution

Maharashtra’s presentation highlighted the State’s leadership in digitised FRA processes and provided practical insights for the national platform.

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Two-Day Field Visit for Real-World Data and Ground Validation

A two-day field tour has been organised in selected FRA-implemented villages in Nashik district, enabling student teams to:

• Interact with Gram Sabhas, patta holders and local leaders

• Observe administrative workflows at district and sub-district levels

• Collect ground-level data on claims, verification and mapping

• Understand challenges linked to documentation, geospatial accuracy and inter-departmental convergence

These field insights will be used to refine the design of the AI-enabled FRA Atlas and WebGIS-based DSS, ensuring alignment with on-ground realities and statutory procedures.

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Next Phase: National Hackathon at NTRI, New Delhi

After the field study, student teams will travel to New Delhi for a two-day Hackathon at the National Tribal Research Institute (NTRI). Under the guidance of the Secretary, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, the teams will:

• Finalise the functional architecture of the national FRA digital platform

• Develop user-centric features for Gram Sabhas, district officials and state departments

• Integrate AI-based analytics, geospatial data and workflow automation

• Ensure the platform supports evidence-based governance, transparency and statutory compliance

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Towards a Digitally Empowered FRA Governance Framework

This post-SIH engagement reflects MoTA’s commitment to:

• Converting policy decisions into field-tested digital solutions

• Strengthening data-driven governance and accountable decision-making

• Facilitating convergence between government, academia and tribal communities

• Enhancing transparency in FRA implementation

• Supporting the Prime Minister’s vision of Viksit Bharat rooted in inclusive growth

It also aligns with the Union Tribal Affairs Minister’s focus on leveraging digital innovation to enable empowered tribal communities, improve rights recognition, and advance sustainable tribal development across India.