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Media's role in protecting forests stressed

By Our Staff Correspondent

BHOPAL, JUNE 22 .The Madhya Pradesh Forest Minister, Dhal Singh Bisen, today said that media should play the role of a "watchdog" and help in protecting the forests from the adverse impact of decisions taken by politicians merely to garner votes.

Dr. Bisen was inaugurating a one-day workshop on "Media Plan for Promotion of Forest Cover in the Country" organized here by the Indian Institute of Forest Management. He complimented IIFM and media for joining hands for the noble cause of increasing the forest cover. While emphasizing the role of media in conserving and promoting the forest cover, he appealed to the assembled media personnel to strive for the revival of the traditional value system, which is very much nature friendly. Dr. Bisen said that people were allowed to encroach upon forest land for the sake of votes.

While asserting that the media should expose such matters, he said that there was also a strong need to prevent politicians from corrupting the system. While presiding over the inaugural session, the IIFM Director, D.K. Bandopadhyaya, drew the participants' attention towards the significant role that had been played by the media in popularizing the agricultural innovations among the farming community when the country was going through the Green Revolution. He said that this workshop should be treated as a forum to converge the views of different sectors like media, academicians, NGOs, corporate bodies, and the common public, who have great stake in protecting the

environment and forests.

The Secretary to the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and Commissioner Public Relations, Aruna Sharma, said that the Forest Conservation Act should be redefined. She particularly cautioned the media against the tendency to define its framework by standards set by the western media.

The State Chief Conservator of Forest, Wildlife and Ecotourism, R.N. Saxena, said that forests should be transferred from the Concurrent to the Central list as this would be better technically, administratively as well as legally. He also proposed that the National Parks like Kanha not having villages inside could betransferred to the Central Government.

IIFM's, A.K. Bhattacharya, who coordinated the workshop, outlined the need for the active role of media and its collaboration with institutes like IIFM in promoting the forest cover in the country.

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