Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary launched 'Trees Outside Forests in India' Programme

 'Move afoot to abolish permission for felling home-grown trees'

GUWAHATI: Environment and Forest Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary launched the Trees Outside Forests in India (TOFI) Programme at a function organized by the Centre for International Forestry Research and World Agro-forestry in collaboration with Assam Agro-forestry Development Board at Assam Administrative Staff College in the city today.

Patowary said that the department would place a memorandum in the next cabinet meeting to abolish the system of seeking permission from the Forest Department for felling trees planted on one's land. He urged the Forest Department officials to encourage people to plant trees of high commercial value like Agar, Sishu, Sandalwood etc., in their lands for economic benefits and the growth of wood-based industries.

Trees Outside Forests in India (TOFI) is a five-year joint initiative by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) of the Government of India. With the united force of eight consortium partners led by CIFOR-ICRAF, the initiative is committed to expanding the area under trees outside forests for livelihoods and boosting the ecosystem in the seven participating states — Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Haryana, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh.

Saying that the Assam Government is striving towards increasing forest cover in the State from the present 36 per to 38 per cent, Patowary stated that TOFI Programme is going to augment these efforts in a big way. He underlined the need to increase livelihood opportunities for people living near forest areas to decrease their dependency on the forests, and programmes like TOFI are important in achieving that goal.

Saying that adverse effects of climate change are palpable as rain and drought patterns have become erratic in recent years, Patowary asserted that there is an urgent need to pursue agendas for environmental protection by all sections. Calling for innovative thinking from Forest Department, the minister urged the officials to take advantage of Assam's fertile land and abundant water bodies and rivers to increase forest cover to mitigate climate change.

Deputy Mission Director of USAID India Karen Klimowski said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden launched the India-US Clean Energy Agenda 2030 Partnership at their summit in April 2021. The two countries have set ambitious 2030 targets for climate action and clean energy, a press release said.

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