A group of probationers of Indian Forest Service (IFS) of 2013-15 batch called on the President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhavan today (August 5, 2014).
Addressing the probationers, the President said that forests are not merely a resource, but they encompass the cultural, spiritual and intellectual heritage of the country. The Government has entrusted them with responsibility of protecting this greatly valuable heritage. He stated that in the last few decades, the world has woken up to the threats to the very survival of mankind due to environmental degradation, depletion in forest cover and above all, global warming leading to Climate Change. That is why Environment has emerged as the prime agenda for the 21stCentury, of which forests are an integral part. To address adverse impacts arising out of climate change it is essential that countries come together to address this issue in a collective manner.
The President said that the management of forests and its governance is a challenging task. This can be made citizen-friendly through extensive use of technology. The probationers must keep abreast with the changing international and domestic forest management issues and adopt the best practices in their profession.
The IFS probationers of 2013-15 batch are presently undergoing training at the Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy, Dehradun and are in Delhi to participate in an appreciation course in Parliamentary Processes and Procedures at Bureau of Parliamentary Studies and Training.
This release issued at 1845 hrs