Jammu: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Thursday launched the forest resource management center (FRMC) and national transit pass system (NTPS), emphasising on the use of technology in forest protection and climate change mitigation.
He said the new state-of-the-art facility and the technological advancements will go a long way in ensuring the required protection and management of the forests in the Union Territory.
The FRMC has been planned to scale up the use of modern technology such as GIS, remote sensing, and digital tools like mobile applications in the protection and management of forests, Sinha said.
He said the FRMC will also play a key role in the digitization of forest boundaries as well as in the management of forests through geo-reference-based information and mapping.
“J&K is the third Union Territory to implement the national transit pass system in the country. It replaces manual paper-based transit systems with online transit systems, and promotes agro-forestry activities that will in turn help in increasing farmers’ income,” the LG said.
“In ‘Amrit Kaal’, our aim is to integrate ecosystem and biodiversity values into development planning and work in a holistic manner for clean air, freshwater, biodiversity conservation, and mitigation of human-wild animal conflict,” Sinha said.
“With GIS mapping and ground-based digitization, we can effectively tackle the challenge of encroachment,” he said.
Sinha hailed the Forest department for the digitization of demarcated forests at beat, block, range, and division levels. He congratulated it for restoring the original glory of the Char Chinar in the iconic Dal Lake and further stressed upon taking up new initiatives dedicated to environmental protection.
Forest management and protection is vital to achieving climate stability and sustainable development goals. Reducing deforestation, tackling the loss of forest biodiversity and preservation of our natural heritage is critical for inclusive development, observed the LG.
“Nature unites us. I want every citizen to become a Green Warrior and take action on climate change. We should have a 10-point vision document which will act as an MoU of commitment with the society to protect the nature in the neighborhood,” said the LG.
The LG also shared the efforts of the Forest department in safeguarding ecological wealth and making technological interventions an important factor in forest management.
“Greater use of technology will help the field staff to make effective decisions for protection and management of forests and augment the efforts of the frontline forest field staff in securing this valuable resource,” he said.
Citing the example from Ecuador which became the first country to grant “legal rights of nature” in its constitution, the LG advised that sustainable development must recognize the earth as a living entity. He also emphasised expediting FRA cases, especially those pertaining to individual forest rights and ensuring that genuine claims are processed and decided expeditiously.
Appreciating the efforts of the department on afforestation through the ‘Green J&K’ drive, the LG advised the department that such afforestation should lead to the creation of livelihoods.
He also directed the department to substantially increase the number of Women Self Help Groups and work toward women’s empowerment. The department should also take new initiatives under Jan Bhagidari and create volunteers to spread awareness on climate change.
On the occasion, the LG paid tributes to the martyrs of the Forest department.
Dheeraj Gupta, Principal Secretary, Department of Forest, Ecology & Environment enumerated various programmes and schemes dedicated to promoting green cover in J&K.
Dr. Mohit Gera, PCCF & HoFF said that the Forest department is actively using remote sensing and GIS for forest protection and management activities, and with the inauguration of the FRMC, the capability of the Forest department in the use of technology will be enhanced considerably.
R. Raghu Prasad, Inspector General of Forests, GoI, said that the roll-out of the National Transit Pass System will largely benefit the farmers of J&K.
Ramesh Kumar, Divisional Commissioner, Jammu; HoDs and other senior officials were present on the occasion.
