Consider the following statements: 1) The definition of "Critical Wildlife Habitat" is incorporated in the Forest Rights Act, 2006. 2) For the first time in India, Baigas have been given Habitat Rights. 3) Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change officially decides and declares Habitat Rights for Primitive and Vulnerable Tribal Groups in any part of India. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

The correct answer is A (1 and 2 only).

• Statement 1 is correct. The Forest Rights Act, 2006 defines 'critical wildlife habitat' in Section 2(b). It is a core-zone concept inside Protected Areas, and the Act allows its voluntary relocation only under strict conditions.
• Statement 2 is correct. Baiga, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group, received habitat rights in Dindori district of Madhya Pradesh. This was the first such recognition in India under Section 3(1)(e) of the FRA.
• Statement 3 is wrong. Habitat rights are not declared by the Union MoEFCC. The process runs from the Gram Sabha's claim and the Sub-Divisional and District Level Committees, with state government involvement. The Union ministry does not decide individual claims.

The core concept is the recognition of community forest rights, which connects to the Mains GS-2 theme of tribal welfare and the implementation gap in FRA. Keep the institutional chain of claims, Gram Sabha, and SDLC/DLC clear in your mind, because questions often test who decides.

Trap: Aspirants assume that anything 'declared' for a protected category must come from the Union ministry. For FRA claims, the decision is made at the local and district level.