Chhattisgarh to Develop Landscape Restoration Policy and Action Plan: Niharika Barik
Central Chronicle News
Raipur,: Taking a significant step towards landscape restoration, the Department of Panchayat and Rural Development, in collaboration with TRI and WRI India, organized a policy dialogue on landscape restoration on September 19, 2024, at Hotel Sayaji, Raipur. The main focus of the dialogue was on landscape restoration and sustainable development goals. Representatives from 10 government departments and 11 social organizations participated in the event.
The Chief Guest of the event was Ms. Niharika Barik, IAS, Principal Secretary of the Department of Panchayat and Rural Development, Government of Chhattisgarh. She provided guidance to the assembly and emphasized the importance of the subject. She recommended conducting more research and gathering evidence for this work. Ms. Barik stressed the involvement of social organizations in this initiative and congratulated TRI and WRI India for organizing such an important event.
The event was inaugurated by Dr. Ruchika Singh, Executive Program Director, WRI India, who delivered the welcome speech, highlighting the importance of landscape restoration. She also spoke about policies and initiatives for land restoration to mitigate the impacts of climate change. Referring to India, she mentioned the importance of this work in the context of reports like the IPCC, which show that rising temperatures and food production challenges will heavily affect South Asia. Around 700 million people depend on forests and agriculture. The lessons from this initiative are captured in ROAM (Restoration Opportunities Assessment Methodology), which outlines the need for restoration efforts across the country. In Chhattisgarh’s case, it ranks among the top three states in the country for unlocking opportunities for landscape restoration. To advance landscape restoration, a united strategy with all departments is required. There was also a discussion on the roles of various stakeholders in planning and implementing landscape restoration efforts effectively.
Following this, Mr. Bhim Singh,IAS, Secretary of the Panchayat and Rural Development Department, Government of Chhattisgarh, emphasized the need for coordinated efforts to ensure that landscape restoration work can be carried out effectively.
Dr. K Subramanyam, (Retired IFS) Member of the Rajya Niti Aayog, pointed out in the inaugural session that 82% of farmers in the state are small and marginal farmers who often work as laborers on large farms due to a lack of irrigation facilities. The landscape restoration efforts will create livelihood opportunities for these farmers, allowing them to work on their own land year-round. Otherwise, they are forced to work as laborers after four months of farming. He also emphasized the use of GIS technology for sustainable planning through land-use and land-cover mapping.
Siddharth Edake, Senior Program Manager, and Nabajyoti Roy, Program Manager, WRI India, presented a study from the Sidhi district in Madhya Pradesh, highlighting the need for an integrated landscape restoration approach. They also discussed the four key objectives of sustainable development goals and the need for carbon absorption to combat climate change.
Mr. Sumit Agrawal, Zilla Panchayat CEO of the Kanker District, Chhattisgarh, shared experiences from the integrated landscape restoration work carried out in collaboration with TRI and WRI India. He warned that if actions are not taken now, problems will only escalate in the future. He emphasized the need for effective coordination among all departments. Women members of the CLF (Cluster Level Federation) from Kanker shared their experiences from the restoration work.
A special panel discussion was also organized on the topic, “The Role of Government Institutions: Challenges and Opportunities for Adopting an Integrated Landscape Approach for Restoration.” Panelists included Dr. K Subramanyam (Retired IFS), member of the State Niti Aayog, Mr. Rajat Bansal, IAS (Commissioner, MGNREGS), and Dr. Ruchika Singh (Executive Program Director, WRI India), who shared their thoughts. Mr. Rajat Bansal emphasized the leadership role of MGNREGS in these efforts.
Representatives from all social organizations present also shared their experiences during the final session of the event.
The event was moderated by Mr. Rajeev Kumar, and the vote of thanks was delivered by Ms. Neerja Kudrimoti, Associate Director, TRI.
This dialogue proved to be an important step toward landscape restoration, with all participants sharing their experiences and showing their commitment to future collaboration.
