‘It’s morning only when you wake up.’ This saying holds true for the Forest Department. After a long wait, he has realized that there is some sourness in the relations between the forest and the people, which he is now determined to remove. In this series, it has been decided to give rewards to the forest fire management committees doing better work in protecting the forests from fire. After this fire season, an amount of Rs 22.75 lakh will be given as reward to 39 such committees. Along with this, green signal has already been given to a project worth Rs 625 crore for cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants in forest panchayats. Relief has been given to the general public by amending the Tree Protection Act. The government hopes that through these efforts it will be able to get active cooperation of the general public in protecting the forests.
There has been a strong relationship between forest and people
At one time, there was a strong relationship between forests and people in Uttarakhand, which had 71.05 percent forest area. The people here not only fulfilled their needs from the forests but also used them to flourish continuously. After the Forest Act 1980 came into existence, the distance in this relationship between forest people increased. It is not that the people here do not cooperate in the protection of forests, but it is not the same as it was before 1980. The idea behind this lies in the government of forests. This is also the reason why the kind of public cooperation that should have been received in the matter of protection from forest fires and smugglers is not being received. After a long wait, the government realized this and started taking some steps from last year. In this context, by amending the Tree Protection Act, only 15 tree species were kept in the restricted category. Earlier their number was 27. The remaining species have been kept within the ambit of exemption, so that if any person needs to cut a tree, he does not have to make rounds of the department for permission. Along with this, 11215 forest panchayats of the state are being linked to livelihood. For this, steps are being taken to cultivate medicinal and aromatic plants in forest areas under Forest Panchayats. The responsibility of extraction and marketing of this crop has also been given to the forest panchayats.
another important step
These steps of the government are being seen as connecting the common people with forests. Now another important step forward has been taken in this. In order to protect against forest fires, forest fire management committees have been formed at the village level. So far, 415 committees have been formed in sensitive and highly sensitive areas. It has been decided to give awards to these committees at the state level for their better work in fire control.
According to Forest Minister Subodh Uniyal, 39 forest fire management committees will be rewarded for their better work during the fire season. This will include 13 first prizes worth Rs 1 lakh, 13 second prizes worth Rs 50 thousand and 13 third prizes worth Rs 25 thousand. This amount may be increased in the near future. This step will increase the spirit of competition among the committees in view of forest fire protection.
