Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi conducted a comprehensive review of the Forest, Environment, and Climate Change Department’s programmes at Lok Seva Bhavan on Thursday, emphasizing the need for proactive measures to prevent illegal tree felling and provide labor-based employment to marginal communities.
During the meeting, Majhi highlighted the critical issue of human-animal conflict, revealing that since 2019-20, there have been 444 elephant deaths and 729 human fatalities due to such conflicts. The CM directed officials to prioritize resolving these issues while also ensuring the morale of forest employees remains high. He called for increased incentives and better support for personnel involved in forest protection efforts.
A key focus of the discussion was the state’s ongoing afforestation programs. Majhi urged officials to ensure the survival of trees planted under these schemes by conducting regular monitoring. He also stressed the importance of filling vacant positions in the Forest Department, noting that 1,677 forest guard posts and 316 other positions are nearing completion.
The review also included updates on the “Ek Ped Ma Ke Naam” campaign, a tree-planting initiative aimed at promoting environmental conservation. To date, 3.13 crore saplings have been registered on the “MeriLiFE” portal, and the government is targeting the planting of 4.5 million saplings by the end of the year.
Other notable initiatives discussed during the meeting included the plantation of 19 lakh palm trees in forest border areas to prevent lightning strikes and efforts to implement plastic-free afforestation and enhanced firefighting measures in forest regions.
Senior officials, including Forest, Environment, and Climate Change Minister Ganesh R Khuntia, Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja, and Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) Debidutta Biswal, were present during the review. Majhi concluded by urging officials to continue their efforts to conserve Odisha’s forests and wildlife while addressing the economic needs of local communities.
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