IMPHAL, June 25: Forest and Environment minister Th Devendro today inaugurated a two day regional workshop on database creation and monitoring the progress of Green India Mission activities.
A formal inaugural function was held at the Hotel Imphal jointly organised by the Ministry of Environment,Forest and Climate Change and the State Forest department.
Devendro said the entire region will benefit from the workshop.
He said perspective plans for the States will be prepared under the mission in a comprehensive manner.
He said that the Green India Mission is India`™s proactive initiative for carbon sequestration and multiple ecosystem services, especially, biodiversity, water, biomass etc. along with climate adaptation and mitigation.
An overarching criterion for selection of project areas/sub-landscapes/sub-watersheds under the Mission would include vulnerability to climatic change projections and potential of areas for enhancing carbon sinks said Devendra.
He further said that this Mission`™s emphasis on the landscape approach is a unique opportunity to meet targets for both, national and State Forest Policy.
The scope of greening is not limited to just plantation under GIM, he said.
He continued that It is interesting to know that the mission would integrate application of modern technology like Remote Sensing and GIS etc for M&E purposes. The Mission would support use of Geomatics (remote sensing with GPS mapping of boundaries) for implementation and monitoring at the output/outcome level.
Devendro also said that multiple stakeholders including government agencies, NGOs/CBOs, community representatives, Academia, media, public representatives should be involved to make the GIM into a people`™s movement.
He continued that landscape Yatras could be organized to develop deeper understanding of the issues of the landscape/cluster by the planning teams.
Gram Sabha and its various committees/groups including JFMCs, CFM groups, panchayats would be strengthened as institutions of decentralized forest governance, he continued.
He said that the Green India Mission will not only benefit India, it will enhance India`™s position among the countries committed for Environment and Forest development.
President of function, chief secretary PC Lawmkunga said that the Manipur government has submitted a State Action Plan in 2012 but there has been no sanction from the central government so far.
In the State level, the issue of climate change is being handled with collective effort of all State departments with the chief secretary as the chairman, he continued.
The impact of climate change in the State is not as severe in other States as of now, nevertheless there is an impact as we have been getting lesser rainfall during the past few weeks, he continued.
The chief secretary also said that the Forest and Environment departments should be concern of the issue.
He said a lot of changes in the weather pattern have been witnessed during the past few years. There is scarcity of rain even in June, he added.
Delivering the key note address MM Kutty Joint Secretary MoEF&CC government of India said that National Mission for a green India (GIM) is one of the eight mission under the 12th National Action plan on climate change.
The mission objective of the mission is to increase forest cover in the country to the extent of 5 million hectors and improved quality of forest, enhance eco-system service like carbon sequestration and storage hydrological service like fuel, fodder and timber and non timber forest produces and to increase forest based livelihood income of about 3 million households.
The function was also attended by Bala Prasad, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Bharati Director MoEF&CC government of India and officials of MoEF & CC, Resource persons coming from different organisation and States, distinguished Delegates representing all NE States among others.