National Workshop on JFM

The two-day national workshop on JFM, jointly organized by the West Bengal Forest Department (WBFD) and Winrock International India, was inaugurated by the Minister-in-Charge, Forests, Jogesh Chandra Burman. Also present for the inauguration ceremony were a host of dignitaries, including Maheshwar Murmu, Minister of State, Forest Department, Government of West Bengal; S.N. Roy, Chief Secretary of West Bengal; Manjula Gupta, Principal Secretary (Forests); V.K. Bahuguna, Inspector General, Forests, Government of India; and Kinsuk Mitra, Vice President, Winrock International India. Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya could not attend due to unavoidable reasons but his message was read out to the participants.

Dr Kinsuk Mitra, in his inaugural address, congratulated the WBFD for co-organizing the workshop, and highlighted the growing and healthy partnership between the FD and the NGO sector, which earlier was often a cause of lament. Applauding a decade of JFM in India, Dr Mitra mentioned the vital issues that this workshop should address, including the increasing need for evolving leadership through training and capacity building programs; need for a macro-level monitoring and evaluation program; the link between Panchayati Raj and JFM; and the controversial issue of microplans vs working plans.

Mr Burman awarded scholarships to meritorious wards of the members of the Forest Protection Committee. M.K. Nandi, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, West Bengal, then delivered the keynote address.

The technical sessions, spread over two days, were divided into five main themes:

• Role of Forest Department in JFM: present and future
• Institutional support for JFM: roles and impacts
• JFM favors local stakeholders need compromising on national needs?
• Compatibility of JFM with silvicultural, ecological and social parameters
• Sustainability of JFM and its future