Dehradun: Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav attends convocation ceremony of 111 IFS officer trainees
Dehradun, August 1
The convocation ceremony for Indian Forest Service Officer Trainees of the 2024-26 Professional Training Course is being held at the Convocation Hall of the Forest Research Institute in Dehradun.
The officer trainees have undergone training at the Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy (IGNFA), Dehradun. Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav attended the event as the Chief Guest.
During the ceremony, a total of 111 officer trainees from the 2024 batch, including 21 women officers and two international trainees from Bhutan, are graduating after successfully completing their professional training.
Among the current batch, the highest number of officers--11--have been allocated to Madhya Pradesh, while five officers have been allotted to Uttarakhand.
The Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy, along with its predecessor, the Indian Forest College, has been serving the nation since 1938.
Over the past 88 years, the institution has trained all generations of Indian Forest Service officers in independent India, as well as 369 forest officers from 14 friendly countries, making it one of the country's most prestigious forestry training institutions.
Addressing the convocation ceremony at the Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy (IGNFA), Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav congratulated the passing-out batch and highlighted the pivotal role forest officers will play in India's journey toward 2047.
Yadav credited the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking India's environmental conservation to a "new level". He noted a significant increase in the country's protected areas, including forest reserves, eco-sensitive zones, tiger reserves, elephant reserves, and Ramsar sites.
He highlighted that over 16 organisations within the ministry are working tirelessly to carry forward this rich tradition of forest service.
"Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we have taken India to a new level in the world. In recent days, as we keep the subject, we have done the work of increasing forest reserve area, protected area, eco-sensitive zone, tiger reserves, elephant reserves, and Ramsar sites. There are more than 16 organisations of our ministry which have been continuously working on this subject for a long time. And therefore, we have to take these subjects forward. There has been a rich tradition of forest service in India," he said.
In a personal reflection, the Minister shared his unique journey from being a lawyer who handled public interest litigations in the Supreme Court against the forest department to now heading the ministry.
"During my ministerial experience, earlier I used to be a lawyer of public interest litigation in the Supreme Court against the forest (department). So I am a man who came from activism and after coming from activism to administration, I have seen that both sides have their own importance. But after seeing both activism and both things, I can say with great confidence that very good officers have taken India's forest service forward with their tradition," he added.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Congratulations to all the new IFS officers! But I do wish we focused more on actual ground-level conservation rather than just increasing numbers of protected areas. Our forests need protection from encroachment and illegal logging, not just paperwork.
Proud moment for our nation! IGNFA has been training our forest officers since 1938, and now even trainees from Bhutan are learning from us. India is truly leading the way in environmental conservation in South Asia. 👏
Interesting that the minister was once a PIL lawyer fighting against the forest department! Shows that people can evolve and see both sides of the story. But I hope he remembers those activism days and ensures our forest officers work transparently and with accountability.
Well-deserved recognition for our forest officers who work in tough conditions to protect our wildlife and forests. 11 officers going to Madhya Pradesh makes sense given the state's large forest cover. Good luck to all the new officers! 🌿
Great initiative, but we need more than just increasing protected areas on paper. The real challenge is human-wildlife conflict, which is rising in many states. I hope these new officers are trained to handle such on-ground challenges effectively.
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