State Forest Minister Dinesh Aggarwal said that the valid demands of the Uttarakhand Forest Development Corporation employees will be considered proactively by the State Government. He was speaking at the two-day meet of the Uttarakhand Forest Development Corporation employees association.

Speaking on the occasion, Aggarwal said that the corporation should work to increase its income while focusing on facilitating the scientific exploitation of resources.

“A proactive work culture should also be encouraged”, he added, while stressing that he would advocate their valid demands with the Chief Minister.

The recently appointed chairman of the corporation, Harish Dhami said that he would aim at executing works that would facilitate development of the UFDC which would benefit both the State and the corporation’s employees. Focus will be laid on getting the quarrying in rivers passing through forest areas through the UFDC to increase revenue. The works related to ecotourism and medicinal and aromatic plants cultivation will also be expanded, he added.

The corporation’s managing director Srikant Chandola said that the demands of the UFDC employees associations were mostly focused on improving the condition of the corporation.

“In the year 2013-14 the corporation recorded a turnover of about Rs600 crore with about 68 per cent royalty going to the State and only about 7.5 per cent being accounted for by handling money. The corporation will work to further increase revenue for the State Government,” he added. Speaking on the occasion the UFDC employees association State head Santosh Rawat spoke in detail about the works of the corporation.

He also elicited focus on the issues raised by the association seeking that these be discussed in the corporation’s governing body meeting. The senior vice president of the association, Puran Bisht spoke of the achievements of the corporation employees till date and also elicited focus on the challenges being faced by the employees.