Exhorts for community participation in conservation of forests through ‘Van Mitras’
Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu launched the 'Rajiv Gandhi Van Samvardhan Yojana' from Hamirpur today. Terming it as a significant step towards environmental conservation and community participation in forest management, he said that the scheme not only aims to increase the green cover by planting fruit-bearing trees on barren and degraded forest areas but will also generate employment and income for local communities by ensuring participation of mahila and yuvak mandals besides self-help groups.
The Chief Minister handed over certificates in this respect to two Mahila Mandals from Nadaun, viz: Amlehad and Bhawdan, which will carry out the plantation activities on two hectares of forest land and ensure its maintenance for a period of five years.
The Chief Minister also launched the 'Green Adoption Scheme'. In the initial phase, Ambuja Company would undertake plantation work on 25 hectares, while the Adani Foundation and Ultra-Tech would adopt 10 hectares each. He handed over certificates to these organizations as a mark of official recognition. The scheme envisages encouraging private enterprises, corporate houses and non-governmental organizations, as a part of their social responsibility, to adopt barren forest land and undertake afforestation work towards environmental conservation, stated he.
The Chief Minister also inspected the passing-out parade of the newly appointed 'Van Mitras' and interacted with them. To address the shortage of staff in the forest department, the appointments of 'Van Mitras' which include many youngsters women will go a long way meeting out the challenges of the forest hazards. He stated that women are coming out in numbers to accept any challenge in different fields, particularly in police and forest department, adding that the Government has reserved 30 percent seats for women in Police recruitment.
He said that the government began working towards making Himachal a Green State soon after assuming office. The Forest department has been actively implementing various initiatives to support this vision.
He said that the Van Mitra Yojana aims to create employment for youth and increase the forest wealth besides creating awareness about forest conservation. He urged 'Van Mitras' not to limit their role to forest protection alone but also to engage with rural communities to spread awareness about the importance of forests wealth. He emphasized the need to prevent illegal logging, remain vigilant against forest fires and contribute actively to plantation drives and forest development initiatives by fostering public participation.
Sh. Sukhu reminded the 'Van Mitras' that the oath they had taken should not be treated as a mere formality but as a solemn commitment that would represent there dedication, reverence and responsibility towards forest conservation. He expressed confidence that this initiative would become a milestone in the preservation and enrichment of Himachal’s green heritage and environmental pride.
On the occasion, the Chief Minister also announced the opening of three new wellness centres under the Municipal Corporation of Hamirpur. He released a souvenir titled "Samvaad" dedicated to 'Van Mitras' and launched a book titled "The Mountainous Wilderness of Spiti." A new mobile application was also launched to facilitate attendance tracking of Van Mitras.He said that the 'Van Mitras' have been selected purely on merit.
The Chief Minister honoured Palampur Block Officer Rakesh Kumar and his team, as well as Conservator of forests Chamba Abhilash Damodar and his team, for their outstanding work.
Additional Chief Secretary (Forests), K.K. Pant welcomed the Chief Minister and provided insights into the department’s various schemes and extended his best wishes to the newly appointed Van Mitras. Earlier, PCCF (HoFF) Sameer Rastogi welcomed the Chief Minister and provided detailed information about the training being imparted to the them.
MLA Captain Ranjit Singh Rana, Chief Minister’s Political Advisor, Sunil Sharma, Chairman of Kangra Central Cooperative Bank, Kuldeep Singh Pathania, Chairman of Kangra Agriculture and Rural Development Bank, Ram Chander Pathania, Chairman of the HP Backward Classes Finance and Development Corporation, Mohan Lal, APMC Chairman, Ajay Sharma, former MLA Manjeet Singh Dogra, Congress leaders Dr. Pushpinder Verma, Suman Bharti, Subhash Dhatwalia, were also present on the occasion amongst senior administrative officers.