Nagaland Forest Management Project covered 144 villages so far

DIMAPUR — The Nagaland Forest Management Project, now in its seventh year, has thus far covered an area of 35,082 hectares in 144 villages, out of a target of 185 villages and an area of 79,000 hectares.

This was revealed at a meeting of the High-Power Committee of the JICA-assisted Nagaland Forest Management Project Society on Wednesday in the conference room of the Chief Secretary, Civil Secretariat, in Kohima.

According to a DIPR report, the purpose of the meeting was to review the progress of the project and approve the work programme for the upcoming financial year, 2024–25. It was chaired by the Chief Secretary of Nagaland, J Alam, who also serves as the chairperson of the committee.

Representatives from various state government departments also attended the meeting. The project was represented by the project management unit, led by Chief Project Director Dharmendra Prakash.

During the meeting, the progress of the project was highlighted through a PowerPoint presentation. It was reported that altogether, 410 self-help groups received revolving funds in the form of loans under the project and that the repayment of the first cycle of the loans was 100% in the first batch villages.

The presentation also mentioned that, altogether, around 78 lakh seedlings were raised and planted and around 18 lakh person-days of employment were generated by the project. The work plan for the coming financial year presented the project target of 41 villages covering an area of 9,129 hectares.

A live demo of the in-house-developed MIS programme was presented in the meeting. The project management consultants highlighted the innovations and good practices taken up and also gave a detailed presentation about the potential of forestry projects in the state in the international carbon market.

The chief secretary conveyed his appreciation of the MIS programme and stated that it could be used by other departments as well. He also lauded the Forest department for the implementation and progress of the project and the efforts made for convergence with other agencies.

The annual report of the project was also released on the occasion.