JICA sponsored Sikkim Biodiversity Conservation and Forest Management Project starts

GANGTOK, June 16. Two days long training conducted under the JICA assisted Sikkim Biodiversity Conservation and Forest Management project (SBFP), for the benefit of the JFMCs and  EDCs of the North and East District kick started from 16th June at the Forest  conference hall here in the capital. The project over a period of three years will be selecting 180 JFMCs and EDCs. Accordingly this year a total of 45 JFMCs and EDCs were selected as Initial Intervention Village (IIVs). These Initial Intervention Villages were selected keeping in mind the cluster approach and the applicability of Spread  effect Village for selection of committees in the following year. In addition certain  Criteria Indicators for selection of Initial Intervention Village was also applied.

Addressing the gathering Additional Project Director, SBFP Mr. NW Tamang informed that  the training program of SBFP is a regular feature to keep updating the members of JFMCs  and EDCs in regards to the project. Adding more Mr. Tamang informed that the project is an international funded and the monitoring of the project is quite strict so urged the members present from East and North district to implement the project sincerely to  avail more international projects in future to benefit the state and the mass at large. Mr. Tamang during his address even asked for the cooperation and support from the  members present for making the project a successful one. Like wise Divisional Forest Officer Mr. Blen Tshering Targain made a brief presentation on SBFP project inclusive of the plans being carried out to achieve the best result from the project in the state. Adding more Mr. Targain informed that in the first phase a total of 45 JFMCs and  EDCs have been formed to implement the project and similarly 90 more will be added in  years ahead and informed that the management of projects in the grass root must be  implemented properly and must be result oriented. Adding more Mr. Targain informed that  SBFP even plans forming Self Help Groups, three under each JFMCs, EDCs which will be  totally an income generating activates but the SHGs must inform what they want to begin  with and has to be profit making.

Furthermore SBFP will be even funding loans to the  SHGs thorough respective JFMCs or EDCs but later the principal amount will have to be  returned and the responsibility of returning the allocated fund rests with the concerned JFMCs and EDCs. Like wise in South and West District also 23 numbers of such IIVs have been selected. To support the activities under the Joint Forest Management a team of NGOs have also been appointed under the Project namely ECOSS North District, VHAS East District and KCC- South and West District. In addition to support the NGOs Community Organizers have been selected who will work in tandem with the JFM committees. The training has been designed in a manner for imparting information to the IIVs on details of the item under Joint Forest Management Project- SBFP. The participants comprising of the committees member secretary, president, members etc will be trained on micro planning; PRA exercises; book keeping; use of GPS; manual on joint forest management; leadership skills; documentation and many more. Several resource persons from the Department have been nominated to train the committees like Special Secretary, RMDD Mr. Sandeep Tambey for leadership skills, Miss. Tashi Palmu, Under Secretary (MGNREGA) experience sharing from Village Development Action Plan RMDD, Range  Officer Mr. Niraj Pradhan, book keeping and Joint Director Mr. Karma Legshey for joint forest management.

The program was attended by Divisional Forest Officer Ms. Dichen Lachungpa along with Range Officer, SBFP (East) Ms. Meena Sharma, Range Officer, SBFP ( North) Mr. Lalit Kumar Rai, other officials working under SBFP and the members of JFMCs, EDCs, NGO's and panchayat members respectively