18.05.26

RatiFi Field Trial Conducted in Andhra Pradesh in Collaboration with the State FRA Cell

The implementation of Community Forest Rights (CFR) guaranteed under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 — commonly known as the Forest Rights Act (FRA) — continues to face significant operational challenges across India. Fragmented, paper-based processes make filed claims difficult to track, limit visibility into approval progress, and require communities to repeatedly travel to government offices for follow-ups and clarifications. These barriers not only slow down implementation but also place a disproportionate burden on forest-dwelling communities seeking recognition of their rights. Digital technology offers an important opportunity to address these gaps — improving accessibility, strengthening accountability, and streamlining workflows across every stage of the claim filing process.

RatiFi: A Digital Platform for FRA Implementation

Recognising this need, we developed RatiFi — an end-to-end digital platform that simplifies CFR claim filing through digitisation, integrating claim filing, workflow tracking, document management, and real-time monitoring within a single ecosystem. Designed for use by communities, Forest Rights Committees (FRCs), and government stakeholders, RatiFi aims to improve coordination, transparency, and efficiency across administrative levels.

Key features include OTP-based login for easy onboarding, downloadable evidence documents such as forest maps and Records of Rights, and a bi-directional feedback mechanism for corrections and clarifications during the claim process. RatiFi also supports offline functionality for remote forest areas with limited connectivity and includes a centralised dashboard that enables communities to track the status of their claims while giving government stakeholders a broader view of implementation progress.

Field Trial in Surakunta Village

On 12 May 2026, our team conducted a field trial of the platform in Surakunta village, Andhra Pradesh, in the presence of Mr Adinarayanarao, State FRA Cell Incharge, Mr Satish from the FRA Cell IT Department, and local Sachivalayam staff. The trial was designed to evaluate the platform's usability under real-world conditions and demonstrate how digital workflows could support more accessible and transparent FRA implementation at the community level.

Community members were introduced to the platform and guided through the digital claim filing workflow. User accounts for the FRC President and its members were created, and participants were assisted in filling and uploading CFR Forms through the application. The workflow for proposing physical verification dates for Forest and Revenue Department officials was also tested successfully. The exercise provided a practical opportunity to assess how different stages of the claim process — from claim preparation and document management to workflow tracking and administrative coordination — could function within a single digital system. Following the field trial, role-based credentials were configured for the State FRA Cell and access to the application was formally handed over for detailed review and independent exploration.

Next Steps

The field trial served a dual purpose: evaluating the platform's usability under real-world conditions, and validating workflow integration between community users and administrative stakeholders. We are currently awaiting observations and feedback from the State FRA Cell, which will help shape the next steps towards a wider rollout of the platform across the state.