SRINAGAR: On April 28th, Panchayat Halqa Mujpathri-Khansaheb made history by organizing the first Gram Sabha on Community Forest Rights under the Forest Rights Act 2006. This event was a significant step towards community-led conservation and sustainable tourism in Jammu and Kashmir.
With an increase of 348 square kilometres of forest cover, Jammu and Kashmir ranks among the country s top five states and union territories in terms of increase in forest cover, informed Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Wednesday. Speaking at the Passing out Ceremony of the Forest Guards of 32nd, 56th, and 66th Course at the Convention Centre in Jammu, the Lt Governor congratulated the forest department and said that the forests have enabled the union territory to receive a higher proportion of funds, around Rs 1,700 crores annually under the 15th Finance Commission. The monetary value of benefits like timber, firewood, fodder, and non-timber forest products as assessed by the Directorate of Economics and Statistics are worth around Rs 3,000 crores, more than 2 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product of J-K. Focus on new avenues like Ecotourism and promotion of Wood-Based Industries can substantially increase the contribution to the GDP, he added.