পালিক ৮ Scholarly Article: Susanta Biswas The Motherly Touch in Protection of Forest The overall objective of the National Afforestation Program (NAP) scheme is to develop the forest resources with people’s participation, with focus on improvement in the livelihoods of the forest-fringe communities, especially the poor. Having been introduced by the National Afforestation and Eco-Development Board in the wake of the success of Samanvit Gram Vanikaran Samriddhi Yojana, the program also aims to support and accelerate the ongoing process of devolving forest protection, management and development functions to decentralized institutions of Joint Forest Management Committees (JFMCs) at the village level, and Forest Development Agency (FDA) at the forest division level. The management of the forests for providing various goods and services to the society, as opposed to their management mainly for timber production, has resulted in growing public interest in forest resources and in the need for more information about these resources and also in greater degree of peoples’ participation in decision-making and management. The employment generation for the disadvantaged sections of the society, particularly women, scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and landless rural laborers inhabiting the forests and adjoining areas, is one of the important aspects of the NAP. There are ample opportunities for the structured involvement of rural women’s groups under the Program which provides for plantation and development of degraded forests. Under the current FDA structure of planning and fund flow for the NAP, the involvement of local women’s Self-Help Groups is encouraged for nursery raising with a view to utilizing the planting material in the afforestation projects. These rural Self-Help Groups are also being assisted in procuring financial support which helps with their maintenance as well as skill upgrades.
Ample opportunities for the structured involvement of rural women's groups under the NAP
The State Forest Department of the Government of Jharkhand has implemented the scheme in the participatory mode, by involving a two-tier set up of FDAs and JFMCs. Forest Dept of Jharkhand has made significant contributions It has allowed greater participation of the community both in planning and implementation of the appropriate afforestation programs, and all the activities under the scheme have been conceptualized at the village
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পালিক ৮ level. Apart from building capabilities at the grassroots level the two-tier approach has empowered the local people to participate in the decision making process. The good work, done according to the prescribed structure by the JFMC as the implementing agency at the grassroots level of Mandu, a village in Hazaribagh district (presently at Ramgarh) in the state of Jharkhand, is worth mentioning especially since the participation of women in the NAP has enriched the whole activity. While implementing the program project Hazaribag East FDA has created awareness, motivated and trained the Village Forest Management and Participation of women in NAP has enriched the activity Protection Committee members to undertake the responsibility of protection and enhancement of existing forests. High level forest officials of Jharkhand have appreciated the fact that from the inception of the project women participation in Mandu was encouraging. The committee has implemented 40 hectors of plantation along with protection of 362.01 hectors of forest area allocated to them. In full consultation with the committee members and the local communities, the work program based on the micro-plan was drawn up by the FDA with active participation of the villagers prior to project implementation. Participatory Rural Appraisal techniques were used to elicit the villagers’ willing opinion in deciding the species to be used in afforestation so that their need for fuel wood, fodder and timber is met. Ecological requirements of the area and biomass needs of the people were determined in consultation with the local people, out of which 80 percent were women. After the approval of the project with complete Central funding, the afforestation program was initiated mainly by the womenfolk in the village of Mandu. Keeping in view its crucial motivational role, the Entry Point Activities to be taken up during the project period was identified during the preparation of the microplan and a Community Hall was established in a temple compound in the vicinity during that period.
The Village of Mandu
Community Hall in Mandu
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পালিক ৮
The area was totally degraded and a path of cattle grazing
Afforestation program initiated mainly by women in Mandu
Average survival is ~95% with good growth & health of plants
The womenfolk have established and nurtured local temporary nurseries by themselves only. In addition, the plantation, except pit digging, was done by them and their counterparts in the tribal areas. They are protecting and caring for the plantation with a sustained effort. The plantation area was afforested with Shisham (Dalbergia sisso), Kaju (Anacardium occidentale), Aonla (Emblica officinalis), Saguan (Tectona grandis), Mahua (Madhuka indica), Karanj (Pongamia glabra), Acacia (Acacia auriculiformis), Chakundi (Cassia siamea), Bans (Dendrocalmus strictus), Neem (Azadiracta indica), et cetera. The plantation has a very good combination of Fuel Wood, Timber and Non-Timber Forest Produce species. Within two years the average survival rate and height are about 95 percent and 10 ft respectively with a very good growth and health of the plants. Along with the protection and enhancement of forests, the women were grouped and formed into Self-Help Groups.
The plantation has a good combination of fuel-wood, Timber and Non-timber species
The women’s groups are raising capital through regular savings and accumulation of interests from internal lending. They are also undertaking income generating activities like Tailoring, Poultry, Vermiculture, et cetera, with support from the District Rural Development Agencies and other Government and Non-Government organizations. The women members of Mandu JFMC are not only protecting forests but also putting extra hands to increase their family income. They have empowered themselves to exercise their freedom and interact with the higher officials of any department. The hand that rocks the cradle now makes the earth greener with its motherly touch. পালিক পড়ুন o পড়ান http://calcuttans.com/palki
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পালিক ৮
Hazaribagh in Jharkhand
Documentary produced by the multi-collaborative Regional Center of the NAEB at Jadavpur University, sponsored by NAEB of the Ministry of Environment and forests, Government of India
The hand that rocks the cradle makes the earth greener with its motherly touch
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পালিক ৮ Multifaceted Susanta Biswas is at once a documentary Filmmaker, corporate writer, translator and Editor of the webzine, Charcha. A graduate in English Literature and post Graduate in Public Relations, Susanta was a newscaster with the Doordarshan Kendra Kolkata, and presently works with the multi-collaborative Regional Centre of the National Afforestation and Eco-Development Board. The article herein reflects a documentary directed by Susanta, titled ‘tribal women, afforestation and sustainability’, which has been submitted to the 15th Kolkata Film Festival and accepted for telecast in the national television network.
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