Order of the National Green Tribunal in the matter of Jagan Prasad Tehriya Vs State of Uttar Pradesh dated 23/05/2025. The applicant has alleged large-scale illegal felling of green trees within the Agra district, Uttar Pradesh. The application revealed instances of illegal tree felling at Fatehabad, Sadar, Kiraoli and Agra …
NAINITAL: With the onset of summer, and the threat of forest fires looming large, the state government has allocated Rs 1.5 crore to 3700 van panchayats (bodies of villagers residing near forests) for fire fighting in their area. However, panchayat representatives say that the amount is too less, as each …
To provide Rs 807 crore to address forest degradation In a State with around 13,000 van panchayats, of which about 8,000 are practically non-functional, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has funded a project to strengthen 750 Van Panchayats. JICA shall fund projects up to Rs 807 crore. The amount includes …
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna announced that 50 per cent seats of Van Panchayat Sarpanch will be reserved for women in addition to which, all Van Panchayat members will be insured by the State Government. The Chief Minister made these announcements while speaking at a State level workshop on strengthening …
Uttarakhand is the only State in India with more than 12,000 Van Panchayats and nearly one lakh members. A total of 10 meetings and workshops have been held in all districts during the past year to facilitate their development under the Chief Minister’s plan for strengthening Van Panchayats. Various issues …
The project is being implemented in three Indian States, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh and Chhatisgarh. This brochure contains project profile of Uttarakhand. The project aims to mainstream the long-term conservation, sustainable and equitable use of medicinal plant diversity into forest management policy and practice at the national, state and local level. …
The residents of Nail and Bhatoli villages have submitted a memorandum to the Sub-district Magistrate (SDM) in which they alleged that fake signatures were used to facilitate the creation of Van Panchayat in the village. The villagers opposed the formation of the Van Panchayat based on fake signatures. According to …
Around 500 trees of different species were destroyed after anti-social elements allegedly set a fire in the Maladidhar Van Panchayat area near Mandalsera village here. The villagers along with others worked together to control the fire and succeeding in it after four hours of toiling. According to information provided by …
The National Thermal Power Corporation (ntpc) plans to build a hydropower project on the Gori river in Uttarakhand’s Pithoragarh district. It needs 280 ha forestland for the project of which two-thirds is controlled by the the local forest councils called van panchayats. The elections to one of the van panchayats …
The Government of India has received credit from the International Development Association (IDA) and a grant from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) towards the design and implementation of a new project titled the Biodiversity Conservation and Rural Livelihood Improvements Project (BCRLIP). The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), India, is …
A comparative study was conducted on plant diversity in Panchayat forests and their adjoining reserve forests of three districts, viz, Pauri, Chamoli and Rudraprayag districts of Garhwal Himalaya since April 2003 to December 2004. Total 15 sites were studied.
Sustainability of forest management comes through community participation at all levels of intervention from planning, intervention and monitoring. There should be a bottom-up approach in microplanning, which requires mobilization of the community to participate in all forestry related interventions and also continuous monitoring.
A study conducted in 45 villages in the central Himalayas assesses the current status of van panchayats, an old institution of decentralised forest governance. It finds that locals are indifferent to the administrative jurisdiction of the forest in the course of their resource extraction activities. There is no quantitative evidence …
Dharamgarh in the Kumaon area of Uttaranchal has a long tradition of people's management of forests. Since 1931, a van panchayat had been doing a remarkable job. The association of these forests with various local deities ensured that local community institutions were helped along on their job. However, with increasing …
The mining controversy in Kataldi, Tehri Garhwal, has taken a new turn now. Even as the villagers continue their stir against the 30-year lease that they say would endanger the ecology of the region and affect their livelihood, owners of Parvitiya Mineral Industries, the lessee company, have filed a case …
1893: The British notify all Himalayan wastelands as protected forests, provoking violent reactions among the people of Kumaon and Garhwal, who lose their traditional rights over forests. 1911-17: Additional areas are appropriated as reserve forests and given to the forest department. Protestors set several hectares of forests on fire. 1931: …
1931 1976 1993 Draft Notification Control over van panchayat Revenue department (RD) given administrative and technical controls RD retains administrative control while forest department (FD) has technical advisory role Administrative and technical powers vested with RD Powers of van panchayat 1. Van panchayat (VPs) can fine offenders Rs 5 2. …
THE people of the Uttar Pradesh hills have always strongly opposed attempts to snatch their traditional rights. Today, they are asserting themselves once again. At various seminars and meetings organised recently, van panchayat members have consistently voiced their aversion to impositions by officials and have instead lobbied for greater autonomy. …
IN THE tranquil village of Kunya Khali in Uttar Pradesh"s Almora district, sarpanch Sunder Singh patiently waits for the monsoon. The village is one of many in Almora, Nainital, Pithoragarh and Chamoli areas that has nurtured a panchayati forest. Unknown to Sunder Singh, however, the monsoon may be accompanied by …
