Rs 566 cr approved for raising forest cover

Chief Secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi, who chaired a meeting of the State Level Steering Committee at the State Secretariat here on Saturday, directed Forest Department officials to utilise services of more youths and local population in developing the forest cover in the State.

Padhi emphasised on developing manpower for protection of the forests and asked the department to take steps accordingly. Notably, the State’s forest cover has risen to 51,239 square kilometer during 2017 from 50,354 sqkm during 2015.

The meeting approved a fund of Rs 566 crore for further raising the forest cover and in allied spheres.

The Chief Secretary also directed the officials to expedite setting up of a Forest Training Centre at Chandka on the outskirts of the State capital.

Development Commissioner R Balakrishnan suggested documentation of the different stages of the development works under the CAMPA based on satellite images.

Forest & Environment Department Secretary Suresh Chandra Mohapatra laid emphasis on road construction and basic facilities for people living in the forest areas.

He said the State has been ranked fourth in forest area expansion with an increase of 885 sqkm of forest cover as per the report of the Forest Survey of India. The Steering Committee approved Rs 465.76 crore for Core Activity (Conservation and expansion), Rs 5 crore for skill development and Rs 66 crore for infrastructure development, said an official release.