Union minister for environment and forest Jairam Ramesh has emphasised the need to revamp and improve the working of forest departments in the states by infusing new blood through the recruitment of forest guards and rangers.
Mr Ramesh was speaking at a consultative session on the “National Mission for A Green India” at Indian Institute of Forest Management in the state capital on Friday. There have been no fresh recruitments in Madhya Pradesh for over 20 years, the minister said adding the recruitment drive should be speeded up. He also stressed the need for changing the mindset as well as the structure of the forest department.
When Madhya Pradesh principal chief conservator of forest said that the state government has recently recruited 3,500 forest guards and 170 rangers, the Union minister said that recruitment at the same level should continue each year.
Mr Ramesh said that on paper everyone talks of 70 million hectare of wasteland but the fact is most of it is either encroached or non-productive.