Van Panchayat conclaves will encourage Van Sarpanches on the one hand while help in making Van Panchayats more organised on the other hand. Chief Minister Harish Rawat said this after inaugurating the Van Panchayat conclave for Kumaon region at Haldwani in the presence of Vidhan Sabha Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal, Finance Minister Indira Hridayesh, Forest Minister Dinesh Aggarwal and labour Minister Harish Chandra Durgapal.
Speaking on the occasion, the CM said that the next Van Panchayat conclave will be held soon at Gairsain. Forest development committees will be expanded soon and the Van Panchayats will be empowered. The Sarpanch will conduct their work under the Van Panchayat Act, he said, while adding that Van Panchayats and Gram Sabhas should work on priority basis.
The Van Sarpanches should be mentally prepared for the rights to be accorded to Van Panchayats akin to those given to Gram Sabhas.
Rawat said that the State Government is preparing an action plan to strengthen the Van Panchayats with financial allocation of `800 crore. He asked the Forest minister to organise Buransh and Kaafal festivals next year on the lines of Harela festival organised this year. The conservation of oak and bamboo should also be linked with these festivals. The CM also directed the principal chief conservator of forests to ensure that all the Van Panchayats of the State are online. On the lines of Forest department offices at the district level, Van Panchayat offices should also be established for monitoring the Van Panchayats. The Forest department should work to enhance the involvement of the public and Van Sarpanches so as to remove insensitivity. The CM exhorted the Van Sarpanches to facilitate plantation of fruit trees, fodder species along with providing cows and buffaloes to Van Panchayat members. He further said that the Uttarakhand Forest Development Corporation should soon arrange for picking up of the broken trees and wood lying in the forests. These should be provided to those who need it for fuel and other purposes so that full use is made of forest wealth. The CM also presented `20,000 and citation letters to Chandani self help group of Almora and Vajula selfhelp group of Bageshwar under the women farmer nursery scheme. These women SHGs have established nurseries and earned upto `2.5 lakh by growing and selling more than one lakh saplings of various species to Van Panchayats. Assembly speaker GS Kunjwal said that similar Van Panchayat programmes should be organised in each district to strengthen all Van Panchayats of the State. There is need for strengthening and empowering the Van Panchayats more as they have an important role in economic development and forest conservation, he added.
Finance minister Indira Hridayesh pointed to the important role of forests in the State’s economic development, economic upliftment of women in the mountainous areas and provision of employment at the local level.
Forest minister Dinesh Aggarwal said that more than 5,000 hectare land is under Van Panchayats in the State. The forest department has been directed to ensure mandatory demarcation of this land with the cooperation of the Revenue department. He also spoke of the various schemes implemented in the State related to forests and Van Panchayats.