Inter-departmental workshop on lessons to learn from NAP implementation

GANGTOK, 23 Jan: A state-level Inter-departmental Workshop on Convergence of National Afforestation Programme [NAP] and other schemes for Joint Management and Eco-development Committees [EDC] and field-level staff of Sikkim was held today at the Forest Dept conference hall, Deorali.
Organized by the Regional Centre Jadavpur and State Forest Development Agency [SFDA], Sikkim, the workshop’s aim is to take cue from the experience of NAP implementation to make future programmes more efficient and effective.
NAP schemes aim to support and accelerate the ongoing process of devolving forest protection, management and development functions to decentralized institutions of JFMSs at the village level, and FDAs at the Forest level. The overall objective is to develop forest resources with people’s participation with emphasis on livelihood improvement of the forest-fringe communities, especially the poor.
Present at the workshop were IFS,CCF[T] Sikkim, Madam Bharati, IFS Addl PCCF/CWLW, Manjeet Singh, Sr. Scientist Regional centre NAEB, MoEF, Jadavpur University,  M Chatterjee, Research Scientist Regional centre NAEB, MoEF, , Jadavpur University, S Das.
During the workshop, Mr. Singh said that “All the projects except for Golitar are being carried out under the JICA, which are going well till now. The management committees in all the four districts are doing well. The Forest department has done a lot of work in many places and I am very thankful to Jadavpur University for organizing such a programmee”.
Ms Bharati said that the system has totally changed now to a bottom-up approach which brings about holistic development. People in the villages know what exactly the forest department is doing for them and there has been a lot of progress, she added.
Mr Das also added that this workshop is all about the convergence of other departments in the NAP scheme which include Aided Natural Regeneration, Artificial Regeneration, Bamboo Plantation, Mixed Plantation of trees having MFP and medicinal value. The main objective of NAP is to protect forests but it is not just upto the forest department to improve it which is where the point of convergence comes in, said Mr Das.
Immediate wage income through asset creation, development of mechanism for capital building, convergence of other Government Departments to generate wage income and production income through training and input were also highlighted by Mr Das.