After making announcement on the World Environment Day i.e. June 5 this year, the Government has inched closer to roll out the ‘Chief Minister Jan Van Vikas Yojna’, a participatory afforestation scheme in the State. The proposed draft for the ambitious scheme is ready that would pave way for the greening exercise to take place under public-private partnership, though a bit differently.
The draft prepared by the Forest and Environment Department, The Pioneer got access to it, would revive the forgotten concept of ‘social forestry’ but with direct and greater partnership between the Government and private landholders i.e. farmers in various regions.
“By encouraging plantation on private land, the State aims to enhance forest cover as well as income of the farmers. It would also lessen pressure on the scheduled forest. Chief Minister Jan Van Vikas Yojna is being implemented in the State with this purpose,” reads the draft of the scheme which, after securing official formalities, would be presented before the Cabinet for final approval.
Under the scheme, the beneficiaries or farmers would be selected based on their valid land records and bank account details and would be paid incentives for planting fruiting as well as timber varieties.
“Maximum land on which plantation can be done by a farmer under the scheme is 50 acres. The farmers with less than 2.5 acre of land can get saplings from the Forest Department while for above area the farmers can arrange plants from the Department on their own. A rate of incentive would be fixed and 50 per cent of the cost coming on plantation would be borne by the Government,” said a senior official of the Department.
The incentive for the first year after plantation would be Rs 11 for a timber and Rs 46 for a fruiting plant which would be credited to the bank accounts of the farmer after verification of alive saplings on ground. On the completion of second year, the incentive would be Rs 7 and Rs 10, respectively and continue for the third year. This apart, the farmers can harvest the matured trees and earn.
The scheme is particularly important for Jharkhand where whopping 34.79 per cent of its geographical area is virtually unused and lying as fallow land. The share goes up to 2774000 hectares out of total 7972000 hectares of geographical area and against just 1085000 hectares of the net area shown.
The draft has all the specifics about digging, fencing, fertilisation and any other maintenance of the planted samplings. Incentive would be paid based on number of living plants every year. Ample measures have also been taken to keep the scheme free from bureaucratic webs.
The Department is mandated to upload applications within three days of being received at MIS application. Applications can be made for saplings between September and December so that required number of plants can be readied. Officials starting from Divisional Forest Officer to Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest have been tasked and also the Circle Officer who in coordination with the concerned DFO would certify land ownership records.
“Preference would be given to those farmers who have land over 1 acre on which 445 timbering and 160 fruiting plants as blocks and 445 plants as linear. More than one person can do linear planting together. Selection of beneficiaries would be done on first come, first serve basis,” added the official.