32 IFS officers join main stream

Dehra Dun, July 29: Thirty two Indian Forest Service officers, including six women and two trainee officers from Royal Bhutan Civil Services of 2003 batch, passed out today from the Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy after three years of comprehensive training here.

Union Minister of state for Environment and Forests Namo Narain Meena presented the Diploma to all the successful officers.

Delivering the convocation address, Mr Meena said the country's forest was under tremendous biotic pressure which reflected in the availability of only 0.08 hectare forest area per person against world average of 0.64 hectare.

''Presently we are passing through a critical period, threatening the very existence of our forests and wild life,'' he said.

Expressing deep concern over fast depleting natural resources and ever increasing demands of the growing population of the country on forests, the minister exhorted on the need to maintain the fragile balance between development and conservation.

''We have to strike a fine balance between the conservation efforts and developmental activities'', he said, adding conservation and protection of our forests by technological and managerial interventions assumed greater significance.

Mr Meena apprised that as per the state of Forest Report, 2003, India's total forest and tree cover was 23.68 per cent as against the National Forest Policy aim of 33 per cent.

''The country is becoming poorer not only in terms of its natural resources and bio-diversity but also environmentally due to degradation following over exploitation,'' he said.

''Lady officers have a special role to play as forests are intricately related to, and have a direct bearing on the lives of million of women who collect fuel, fodder and water from forests.'' Earlier Mr Meena, in the presence of Uttaranchal's Minister of Forests and Urban Development Nav Prabhat, Vinod Rishi, Director, IGNFA and G K Prasad, DG, Forest, handed over the diplomas to all 34 officers.

Akanksha Chowdhary of Rajasthan cadre was adjudged the topper.

UNI