Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Government has formulated Rs 250 crore Green India Mission (GIM) perspective plan to address the Climate Change threats by adopting measures primarily through forestry sector.
In this regard Principal Secretary, Forests, Rakesh Gupta today chaired a meeting and discussed the salient features of the Perspective Plan of Green India Mission (GIM).
As part of the State Action Plan of Climate Change (SAPCC), GIM is one of the ten missions, which takes into consideration landscape development approach including massive afforestation, biodiversity conservation, soil and water conservation, environmental services, agro-forestry and capacity building to address the pressing need to reverse the impact of the Climate Change, which is affecting the livelihood of people in the most vulnerable state of J&K.
The meeting observed that the forestry sector provides a great opportunity to mitigate the effects of climate change and ensure food security, water availability and livelihood to communities dependent on forest.
The plan envisages greening of landscapes through afforestation of degraded forest areas and enrichment of open forest areas, so that the impact of the climate change on the people living in the fringes of forest is reduced to a large extent.
One of the major targets of GIM will be to improve the density of the Forest Cover with landscape based approach by treating the watersheds.
It was further informed that some crosscutting interventions for promoting alternative sources of energy, improvement of livelihood measures, conservation of biodiversity and water conservation have been included in the project. Peoples participation through creation of Joint Forest Protection Committees forms the integral part of the project. Cultivation of Seabuck thorn in Ladakh on private / community lands also forms part of project.
The landscapes targeted to be developed have been identified through the use modern technology e.g GIS and Remote sensing and taking into consideration degradation of forests, population, poverty levels, vulnerability to climate change, with crosscutting interventions i.e Seabuck thorn in Ladakh. Estimated to cost Rs 250 Crore the project spreads over to five years with three years maintenance and covers all the geographical areas of the state.
Pr. Secy, however, desired that the maintenance should be for five years and for this the matter would be taken up with the MoEF&CC.
The project report has been prepared under the chairmanship of Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests/ Director, Department of Social Forestry, J&K, Suresh Chugh , along with N.P Singh, CCF (Project & Planning) and K Anand, CF(W.P, Research and Training), Sam Changkija, CF Central, Smt Roop Avtar Kour, Regional Director, Social Forestry Jammu, Majid Farooq, Scientific Assistant, Ms Priyaka Sareen, Wild Life Warden Kathua. The project report has been prepared in a short time of three months and is ready for submission to Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change, Government of India.
The meeting was among others attended by A.K Singh, PCCF, J&K, Deepak Khanna, APCCF,(Wildlife),J&K, Ravi Kesar, APCCF/ Director, Soil Conservation, J&K, P.K Singh, Project Chief IWDP, S.K Gupta, Director, Forest Protection Force, Shally Ranjan, Secretary Technical and Ishfaq Pakchiwal, Joint Director Planning, Forest Department.
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