MP: RSS Body Wants Restoration Of Degraded Forests To Focus On Boosting Livelihood Of Tribals
The members of the samiti and the scheduled tribe advisory council have met chief minister Mohan Yadav here recently to urge him to incorporate their recommendations in the upcoming policy for restoration of degraded forests, sources said.
Bhopal: Vanvasi Kalyan Samiti, an RSS body, has recommended the Madhya Pradesh government to review the policy on restoration of degraded forests in the state to focus on boosting the livelihood of the local tribals.
The body suggested for a relook into the conventional way of plantation of teak and ‘sal’ trees for restoration of degraded forests, being practiced since the British period and go for plantation of trees with medicinal properties such as ‘Harada, Bahada, Anla, Ashwagandha and Mahua’, to boost the livelihood of the forest dwellers and the local tribals, sources said on Monday.
The members of the samiti and the scheduled tribe advisory council have met chief minister Mohan Yadav here recently to urge him to incorporate their recommendations in the upcoming policy for restoration of degraded forests, sources said.
The body has also suggested the state government to establish ‘Van Vigyan Kendras’ (forest science Centres) in the line of ‘Krishi Vigyan Kendras’ for the development of forests and those dependent on the forest produce for their livelihood, sources said.
The samiti recommended starting such a Centre each in Vindhya, Madhya Bharat and Mahakaushal regions to cater to the needs of the local forest dwellers, as a pilot project.
Such research Centres can be established with the cooperation of the Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM), Bhopal, the body said.
Besides, studies should be done on the value addition of forest produce to improve the economy of the local tribals, the samiti recommended.
Of the 94,689 sq km of forest area in Madhya Pradesh, nearly 37,000 sq km of area is identified as degraded forest.