Coimbatore: 597 forest guards, including 190 women, get medals, certificates
As many as 190 women were recruited for the post of forest Guards for Tamil Nadu forest department from the Tamil Nadu Forest Academy.
COIMBATORE: Steps have been taken to increase the green cover across Tamil Nadu, said Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami here on Friday.
Presiding over the passing out ceremony of forest guards organized by the Tamil Nadu Forest Academy (TNFA), he gave away the certificates and medals to 597 forest guards including 190 women and 45 drivers, who passed in the recruitment conducted during last December and completed their training at the Tamil Nadu Forest Academy (TNFA) in Coimbatore.
As many as 190 women were recruited for the post of forest Guards for Tamil Nadu forest department from the Tamil Nadu Forest Academy.
Mr. Palaniswami said as part of the former Chief Minister J.Jayalalithaa's birth anniversary celebrations, the present government had taken various steps to increase the green cover across the state. Efforts have been taken to plant 71 lakh tree saplings during the year 2019-2020, as a part of the green cover project initiated by the late reverent 'Amma', he noted.
According to the Indian forest land survey agency report released during 2017 the forest area in Tamil Nadu was 26,281 Sq.Kms which is 20.21 percent out of the total area of the state. The forest cover in Tamil Nadu had increased 75 square Kilometers pointed out Mr. Palaniswami.
Tamil Nadu remains at the top position in conserving natural resources and strengthening the forest laws by having 15 animal sanctuaries, 15 birds sanctuaries, five national parks, four tiger reserves and three biosphere-reserves, added Palaniswami. He is the first Chief Minister to visit the TNFA in recent years, said a department source.
Mr. Dindigul C. Srinivasan the state Forest minister mentioned in his speech that steps were being taken to increase the forest cover to 33 per cent as recommended by experts and the ministry.
Minister SP Velumani, Deputy Speaker Pollachi V.Jayaraman, Environment and forest department principal secretary for TN Shambu Kallolikar, principal chief conservator of forest, Durai Rasu, Coimbatore collector K. Rajamani and MLAs took part in the function.