Environment Ministry advocates diversion of funds into tree plantation

The Pioneer,
September 6, 2006.

In an effort to increase tree canopy, Environment Minister A Raja wants diversion of funds from Rural Employment Scheme for tree planting. The Government also wants farmers to grow and hardest trees on non-forest private lands.

The Ministry is also understood to be mulling private investment for meeting the target of one-third-forest cover by 2012. An additional 31.46 million hectares of forest and tree cover are required to be raised in the coming years. Keeping with the commitment, the 12th finance commission has allocated an additional Rs. 1000 crores for forest conservation.

The Environment Ministry is working with Rural Development and Agriculture Ministries to impress upon them to spend 2 % of their allocation towards greening the vast wasteland “we would like that 25% of the plan outlay in Rural Employment Schemes be ear-marked for planting trees.” Raja said inaugurating a meeting of conservators of forests and wildlife wardens on Tuesday. Even the UPA’s flagship scheme, the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005 (NREGA) can meet the twin objectives of employment generation as well as protection and management of forest resources. Activities such as water conservation and harvesting afforestation and plantation, land development, flood control drought proofing, renovation of traditional water bodies, land development have large scope of make use of this Act and develop schemes for degraded areas, Minister of state Namo Narain Meena suggested.

The Ministry is also considering multi-stakeholder partnership programme, which could see private investment partnering with Government and farmers to grow trees on wasteland. The Government could lease out land, farmers will cultivate and the private sector could bring in initial investment and then buy back the produce from the farmer. The partnership will mean increase in tree cover by employing wasteland, profit for farmers and assured supply for the industry. Initiatives such as these however need support from state Governments who will have to allocate land.

The environment Ministry is straddled between conservation and development needs as population growth exerts biotic pressure on forests. The earlier temperament of keeping people out of forests is impractical and invited allegation of being anti people. People in and around the forests are part of conservation programmes in the past decade. “Reform the world over began to be people centered in the wake of popular ecological moments,” the Minister said.

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