Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti distributed engagement orders under Rehbar-e-Janglat (ReJ) scheme among the 534 forestry graduates here today.Addressing a largely attended gathering after distributing the orders, the Chief Minister asked them to work dedicatedly for protecting the forests in the State. She asked them to use their enthusiasm, professional qualification and expertise to undertake innovative means to ensure that depletion of green cover in the State is arrested.Terming unemployment as a major challenge, the Chief Minister said her Government is taking many steps to tide over the challenge.She said private sector is being encouraged to invest and entrepreneurship is being promoted among the youth to generate more job avenues.This, she said, is in addition to development of sectors like tourism, handicrafts, horticulture etc which also have a high employability rate.Quoting the famous verse—Ann Poshi Teli Yeli Wann Poshi of sufi Saint Hazrat Sheikh Noor ud Din Wali (R.A.), Mehbooba Mufti underscored the need for protecting plant life for the well being of human race. She praised the Forest Department for planting a sizeable chunk of fruit trees in the forest areas to avoid wild animals move out in search of food, thus minimizing the chances of man-Animal conflict.
The Chief Minister, on the occasion, also launched the online consent management and monitoring system of the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB). This would enable issuance of online permission certificates in favour of intending unit holders without them having to visit the offices.In his speech, Minister for Forests, Ecology & Environment, Choudhary Lal Singh outlined the steps taken by his Department for streamlining its activities. He said timber distribution has been streamlined to weed out chances of corruption and influence. He said plantation drives have been undertaken at many vacant spaces which is expected to improve the green cover in the State.Minister of State for Forests, Mir Zahoor Ahmad also addressed the gathering.Legislators, Noor Muhammad Sheikh and Anjum Fazili; Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Ravi Kesar; Chairman, State Pollution Control Board, Siddharth Kumar; senior officers of Forest Department; newly appointed ReJs, students and scholars of Forestry were present on the occasion.