Use tribal knowledge in improving & preserving environment: President Murmu
Thursday, 25 APRIL 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN
The President of India Droupadi Murmu has said that it is very important to understand the importance of the knowledge accumulated by tribal society over centuries and use it to improve the environment. She stated that the collective wisdom of tribals can help us move forward on an ecologically sustainable, ethically desirable and socially justifiable path.
The President was addressing the convocation ceremony of the officer trainees of Indian Forest Service (2022 batch) at the Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy here on Wednesday. She said the human society should not forget that the reality that forests have preserved life on earth. Murmu said that the human society is making the mistake of forgetting the importance of forests.
The President said in today’s period of human-centric development, disastrous results have emerged along with development. Unsustainable exploitation of resources has brought humanity to a point where the standards of development have to be re-evaluated. “We should understand that we are not the owners of the earth’s resources, but we are trustees. Our priorities should be ecocentric along with anthropocentric,’’ she said.
The President said that in many parts of the world the loss of forest resources has occurred very rapidly. Destruction of forests is in a way – destruction of humanity. She said that human life can be saved from the crisis through conservation and promotion of forests and wildlife. Murmu opined that Artificial Intelligence (AI) can help in identifying suitable areas for afforestation and area specific tree species.
The President said that today human society is bearing the brunt of many environmental problems and one of the main reasons for this is a special type of modernity, the root of which is the exploitation of nature. Traditional knowledge is neglected in this process.
The President said that she was confident that the officers of the Indian Forest Service had become completely free from the colonial mentality and outlook of the former Imperial Forest Service. She stated that IFS officers not only have to conserve and augment India’s natural resources but also use the traditional knowledge in the interest of humanity.
“ The Indian Forest Service has given many officers to the country who have done unparalleled work for the environment. IFS officers such as P Srinivas, Sanjay Kumar Singh, S Manikandan have sacrificed their lives in the line of duty. The officer trainees should make such officers their role models and mentors and move forward on the ideals shown by them,’’ she said.
The President urged IFS officers to spend time among the tribal people in the field and earn their affection and trust. She said that they should learn from the good practices of the tribal society. She also urged them to take ownership of their responsibilities and become a role model.
Addressing the ceremony the governor of Uttarakhand, Lt General ( retd) Gurmit Singh said that the environment is an integral part of our economy. . He expressed hope that the new officers will ensure active participation of stakeholders and promote dialogue as well as strive to empower communities to become nature-dependent stewards of resources.
In the ceremony the director of the IGNGA Jagmohan Sharma presented a report about the institute. He said that the officers are trained in various aspects of forestry and governance to meet the expectations of the service. Sharma advised the young probationers to work with utmost sincerity and devotion and do their best for securing livelihood of the forest dependent people.
In the ceremony 101 officer trainees consisting 99 Indian Forest Service probationers and two foreign trainees from Bhutan were awarded degrees. Mohammed Abdul Rawoof Shaik of Andhra Pradesh cadre was declared the topper of the batch.
