It is vital for Government officials at all levels to understand and act for the decentralisation of power enshrined in the Constitution of India because it has been learnt from experience that full cooperation and participation of the people at the grassroots level is essential for democracy and execution of development plans. TKA Nair, adviser to the Prime Minister, said this after inaugurating a workshop on integrating forest based enterprises with rural development for livelihood support and economic growth at the Forest Research Institute on World Forestry Day.
Nair said that stakeholders should not be deterred by the problems faced in the initial stages of varied works but strive to achieve the target. He stressed, “Since the biggest issue facing the nation is the problems faced by the people, there is need for practical research to address the challenges faced by society. We can’t ignore hunger, poverty, illiteracy and other problems in the country. The Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education should work to bring the forest dwellers into the mainstream and the council should aim its work at conserving ecology while also benefitting the public and strengthening food and water security,” said Nair.
Earlier, the ICFRE director general VK Bahuguna said that there are 1.70 lakh forest fringe villages in India while about 90 per cent of small and marginal farmers depend on forests for the needs of their cattle and their own energy requirements. He also spoke on the history of forestry in India from the colonial era onwards and detailed the various efforts undertaken by ICFRE. He said that increased budgetary allocation would help the council work more in the left wing extremism affected areas of India.