Chennai: Chief minister Jayalalithaa on Monday sanctioned Rs 52.11 crore for various initiatives aimed at sustaining the Joint Forest Management (JFM) plan implemented with funding assistance from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), a release said.
The Joint Forest Management plan, which is an extension of the Tamil Nadu Afforestation Project (TAP) Phase-11, was implemented at a cost of Rs 567.42 crore and funding for the project had ended during 2012-13.
In an effort to ensure sustainability of activities initiated under TAP, the chief minister has sanctioned the sum for the forest department to continue the development initiatives which include improving the forestry extension centres, the release said.
“These initiatives will be implemented at a cost of Rs 52.11 crore during 2013-14 and 2014-15 by using the unspent portion of fiscal assistance given by JICA coupled with state funding,” the state government release added.
Forest department officials pointed out that these funds would be used to improve technology for monitoring forests areas and other forest related activities.
The largescale afforestation of barren lands in the state has been taken up to increase forest cover in Tamil Nadu which in turn will directly and indirectly benefit the livelihood of the hundreds of tribes who depend on forest lands for meeting their everyday needs, a forest department official said.
