Probationary IFS Officers Gain Insight into JICA Forestry Project

Shimla: Probationary IFS officers of the 2024 batch gained in-depth knowledge about the JICA Forestry Project during their visit to the Project Management Unit in Shimla on Thursday. The officers, Abhishek Parihar and Ajay Singh Meena, were welcomed at the headquarters, where Project Director Shreshta Nand Sharma provided a comprehensive briefing on the project and key initiatives being implemented by the Forest Department.

Sharma apprised the officers of major activities including plantation drives, livelihood enhancement, and income-generation initiatives. Dr. S.K. Kapta, Director of the Herbal Sale Cell, also briefed the officers on biodiversity-related aspects. It is noteworthy that both probationary IFS officers hail from the state of Rajasthan.

Explaining the project’s objectives, Shreshta Nand Sharma stated that the primary goal of the Himachal Pradesh JICA Forestry Project is to improve ecosystem services from forest areas to support sustainable socio-economic development in the state. The project is being implemented across seven districts—Kinnaur, Shimla, Bilaspur, Mandi, Kullu, Lahaul-Spiti, and Kangra—covering nine forest circles, 22 forest divisions, and 72 forest ranges.

The Project Director further informed that livelihood enhancement plans have been prepared for 460 VFDS  and 920 Self-Help Groups under the project. To increase green cover, large-scale plantation activities are being carried out, with plantations completed over 8,300 hectares of land so far. Plantation work is also being undertaken across the state under the Chief Minister Forest Expansion Scheme and the Rajiv Gandhi Forest Conservation Scheme.

On this occasion, Programme Managers Vinod Sharma, Reena Sharma, Dr. Kaushalya Kapoor, Disha Gautam, and Herbal Sale Cell Marketing Manager Dr. Rajesh Chauhan also delivered detailed presentations on their respective project components.