Forest officers should adopt a human-centric approach in forest management while also working towards the protection of rich biodiversity of the nation. The Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar said this while speaking at the convocation of 2013-15 Course of IFS probationers at Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy (IGNFA) here on Monday.
Addressing the gathering, Javadekar said that forest officers had the best job in the world considering the natural surroundings they work in. Exhorting the young officers to be honest and committed to society, he said that a good forester should also work towards harmonious relations with society in general and with those living around the forests in particular. He also called for a pragmatic approach in implementation of forest rules. On the subject of environmental laws he said, “The red sanders trees grow only in the Chittoor and Kadapa districts of Andhra Pradesh and the red sandalwood is in high demand overseas. However, due to regulations drafted in the past it is being smuggled more instead of being used commercially for the welfare of the nation and its people. About 12,000 tonnes of red sanders has been seized from smugglers. India imports palm oil worth `80,000 crore and had also started oil palm cultivation on Andaman island in the past till it was banned by the Supreme Court,” he said.
Director general of forests, Dr Sharad Singh Negi exhorted the IFS probationers to also look beyond forests. He said, “Forests provide us ecological security and services. About 300 million people in India are directly or indirectly dependent on forests for their livelihoods. Apart from looking after the environment and people dependent on forests, you will also be responsible for looking after the welfare of your subordinates,” he added.
MoEFCC secretary Ashok lavasa stressed that public servants are expected to resolve problems and that those public servants who fail to resolve problems faced by the public are themselves part of the problem.
Earlier, IGNFA director Vinod Kumar informed that 76 probationers had been trained in the 2013-15 batch including 28 lady probationers and two foreign trainees from Bhutan. Sekhar Babu Geddam of Andhra Pradesh cadre was awarded for all round outstanding performance in the 2013-15 training course while Abdul Alim Ansari of Madhya Pradesh cadre was adjudged best all round forester/topper in academic subjects.