10 year action plan to develop forest villages

Betul(MP), Jan 17: A forest officer has chalked out a 10-year action plan for all round development of 91 forest villages in Madhya Pradesh's Betul district having 41 percent forest cover.

Betul's Conservator of Forests Azad Singh Dabas plans to implement the action plan from this year itself in coordination with development works planned by about 50 other departments.

The Centre had already made substantial fund allocation for the development of all forest villages across the country along with shifting of human population from the core area of national parks and sanctuaries.

Mr Dabas told the sources that primitive Korku and Gond tribals still lead a miserable life due to backwardness, illiteracy, liquor addiction, poligamy, child marriage and other reasons. Along with improving health parametres and literacy, it is also proposed to bring the tribal population to the mainstream of the society by weaning them away from social taboos and developing a progressive attitude among them.

He said no special budget allocation was sought for the 21-point programme. Efforts would be made to create irrigation facility and to go in for multi-crop farming, while the forest dwellers would be discouraged from illegal mining and felling, besides encroachment in forest areas.

UNI