Chang says change is NDPP-PDA's agenda

Dimapur, June 6 (EMN): The minister for Environment, Forests & Climate Change, CM Chang iterates that the 'agenda' of the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party-led People's Democratic Alliance (NDPP-PDA) is change. Chang was said to have been addressing a World Environment Day programme in Kohima, updates said. "CM Chang said that PDA government is bringing about many changes in the forestry sector," a press release to the media stated. He was quoted as having said that, "afforestation" projects would be undertaken in about 14000 ha across 32 villages as part of the Nagaland Forest Management Project. "This will help in conservation and improvement of natural resources. For effective monitoring and transparency, each project site will be mapped using GPS and this will be integrated to the department website using latest GIS technology. The government has also made a rule that no cash payment will be done for works above Rs.10000." During the past one year, Chang said, the PDA government had actively worked with various village communities to declare community reserves for permanent conservation of their community natural heritage. "With the cooperation of the village communities, the PDA government has notified 75 community reserves across the state under Wildlife Protection Act 1972. This has brought the total community reserves in the state from 15 to 93 covering an area of 674.2257 sq.km." This he said, the updates stated, is an effort of the PDA government to "ensure land security and natural resource security to the village communities." Further, the minister was stated to have asserted that the government was "also working hard to increase the primary GDP of the state" through various sectors of which forestry and wood-based manufacturing sector is of primary focus. "He said that very soon, the state will have an actionable, doable policy on manufacturing sector which will not only boost the primary GDP, but also provide a value-chain business ecosystem and employment to thousands of youths," the updates explained. “We Nagas are tribal. We love wood. We also love art and working with wood. There is a huge untapped potential in the forestry sector which we need to seriously work on. We will 'Make in Nagaland,'” he said.