Started less than a year ago in 2015, the Chief Minister Jan-Van Yojana has shown some good green turnouts in Jharkhand. Aiming to improve greenery not just inside the designated forested area of the State plush with forest cover but also on Raiyati land lying fallow with farmers, over 5,000 acres of land has already been brought under the ambitious scheme so far.
The Department for Forest, Environment and Climate Change has recently reviewed the greenery plan which is slated to be examined finally in October to access actual progress made on ground.
“The response has been satisfactory. We are examining preliminary data coming and based on that the Department would even prepare advance planning for the next year since the budget exercise is expected to be advanced in 2017,” said Principal Secretary of the Department Sukhdeo Singh.
Chief Minister Raghubar Das had inaugurated the scheme in order to improve tree counts in the State by incentivising landholders with as much as 50 per cent cash grant for planting saplings on vacant and unused land in blocks or on liner basis on the farm fencings. Raiyats are to be paid for three years for conserving and protecting the fruiting and timber varieties. The Department had also chipped in with saplings through its nurseries.
“Initially the target was to cover 6,000 acres of non-forest private land under the CM Jan-Van Scheme for a year. Rs 10 crore was budgeted for this purpose. So far we have received proposals for nearly 5000 acre under the scheme. The concerned DFOs would submit survival report in October and based on that the grants based on alive plants would be transferred to beneficiaries bank accounts in November through DBT,” said YKS Chauhan, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest.
The officials added that areas like Santhal Pargana, Pakur, Godda have been the leaders in pouching the scheme. “This region is basically dry and vast amount of barren land is available there with farmers. This may the reasons why people opted for the scheme more enthusiastically since it can bring
their land back into production cycle,” said the Additional PCCF.
However initial data shows that tribal community perhaps due to lack of awareness and under impression that there is enough green cover available in the State has cold shouldered the scheme. “Also because the pattern of the scheme removes scope for middlemen since money is transferred directly into bank accounts, those depending on middlemen have not come forward,” said a DFO.
Nevertheless the Department based on the response is gearing up for the next year. “The budget is going to be presented by January next year and we are preparing that more encouraging fund comes for this scheme. The plan is to raise the target anywhere between 10000 to 15000 acres for 2017-18,” said YKS Chauhan.