At the national level, which ministry is the nodal agency to ensure effective implementation of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006?

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs is the nodal agency because the Act’s primary objective is to recognize the socio-economic and land rights of forest-dwelling communities, which falls under its specific administrative mandate. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change is a common distractor because the Act involves forest land, yet its role is centered on conservation rather than the legal recognition of tribal rights. This question tests the core concept of administrative jurisdiction and the identification of nodal ministries responsible for implementing landmark social justice legislations.