Items of Work Handled

Items of Work Handled

Research & Training Division (Foresty)

The Division coordinates two major Central Sector Plan Schemes namely “Grants in Aid to Forestry & Wildlife Institutions” and “Capacity Building in Forestry Sector”. The details of the schemes are given below-

“Grants in Aid to Forestry & Wildlife Institutions” Scheme covers

• Indian Council of Forestry Research & Education (ICFRE), Dehradun.
• Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM), Bhopal
• Indian Plywood Industries Research and Training Institute (IPIRTI), Bangalore
• Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun (dealt by Wildlife Division)

Indian Council of Forestry Research & Education (ICFRE), Dehradun

Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE), an apex body in the national forestry research system, has been undertaking the holistic development of forestry research through need based planning, promoting, conducting and coordinating research, education and extension with the emerging issues in the sector, including global concerns such as climate change, conservation of biological diversity, combating desertification and sustainable management and development of resources.

The council also imparts forestry education through FRI Deemed University, supports forestry education in Agricultural Universities, and organizes training programmes for the personnel of the State Forest Departments and other stakeholders in the field of forestry and allied sectors. ICFRE has nine Regional Research Institutes and four Research Centers located in different bio-geographical regions of the country to cater to the forestry research needs of the nation.

Research Institutes Under the Council are:

• Forest Research Institute(FRI),  Dehradun
• Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding (IFGTB), Coimbatore
• Institute of Wood Science and Technology (IWST), Bangalore
• Tropical Forest Research Institute (TFRI), Jabalpur
• Rain Forest Research Institute (RFRI), Jorhat
• Arid Forest Research Institute (AFRI), Jodhpur
• Himalayan Forest Research Institute (HFRI), Shimla
• Institute of Forest Productivity (IFP), Ranchi
• Institute of Forest Biodiversity (IFB), Hyderabad

Advanced Research Centres Under the Council are:

• Centre for Social Forestry and Eco-Rehabilitation (CSFER), Allahabad
• Centre for Forestry Research and Human Resource Development (CFRHRD), Chhindwara
• Forest Research Centre (FRC), Hyderabad
• Advanced Research Centre for Bamboo and Rattans (ARCBR), Aizawl
• Centre for Forest Based Livelihood and Extension, Agartala, Tripura

Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM), Bhopal

Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM), Bhopal is an autonomous institution of the Ministry. The institute has developed as an educational, research, training and consultancy organisation at national as well as international level.   The IIFM aims to provide leadership in professional forestry management aimed at environmental conservation and sustainable development of Ecosystems. To be among the leading international institutions in the area of forest and related environment development management and be respected, both nationally as well as internationally, for it’s outstanding contributions in the field of education, training, research, consultancy, and thought leadership.

The Institute, as a sectoral management institute, imparts education in forest management, which is a judicious combination of management, social, and forestry sciences.  The Institute constantly endeavours to keep in touch with the problems of people, especially the forest dwellers and undertakes need-based research.  The Institute tries to serve as a reservoir of knowledge in forest management and ensures proper integration of external and indigenous knowledge suitable to Indian context.  The specific objectives of the Institute are:

• To serve different stakeholders of forestry, environment, and Development sectors and the society, in general, through development and dissemination of knowledge, human resource development through its education and training activities, and providing assistance in formulation and advocacy of relevant policies and strategies,
• To be a national institution with international perspective and outreach, and
• To build culture of excellence, achievement, cooperation and service within a framework of strong ethical patterns of behavior informed by universal values.

Indian Plywood Industries Research & Training Institute (IPIRTI), Bangalore

IPIRTI was established for undertaking research and development of technologies for plywood and panel products made from wood and other lignocellulosic materials including plantation timber, bamboo and other natural fibres.  The technologies developed have been made available to the forest based industries (mostly plywood manufacturing units) and other stakeholders.  Institute is also responsible for providing training to meet human resource development needs for plywood and other allied industries. IPIRTI is also a recognized Institute from BIS for undertaking testing and formulating standards related to wood based panel products.

Capacity Building in Forestry Sector Scheme

The scheme aims to cover the whole gamut of the training and exposure needs of the forestry sector personnel as well as members of the civic society in the country.

Training of IFS Officers

The component supports one-week compulsory trainings and two day training workshop for IFS officers through various organizations in the country. Officers are also sponsored for long-term training courses.

Directorate of Forest Education

The component supports professional induction courses for the directly recruited SFS officers and ROs, their in service trainings, seminars /workshops.

Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy (IGNFA), Dehradun

The component takes care of professional induction training of directly recruited IFS officers, skill up-gradation of officers promoted to IFS, Mandatory Mid-Career Trainings, refresher courses/seminars/workshops etc.

Training of Personnel of Other Services

The component provide awareness programmes through short-term trainings, workshops, and study tours for the personnel of various Departments such as Police, Revenue, Customs, etc.

Foreign Training of Forestry Personnel

The component is aimed at encouraging specialization amongst the forestry personnel by sponsoring them for various short-term and long-term training courses at various Institutions overseas.

Training of Other Stakeholders

The component provide awareness programme through study tours, workshops and seminars for these stakeholders i.e. Panchayat members, elected representatives, teachers, nature clubs/eco-clubs, social activists, NGOs, and media persons.

Capacity Development for Forest Management & Training of Personnel

The component is an externally aided component aimed at improving training of frontline forestry force. The total cost of the component is Rs. 225.00 Crore for a period of five years is funded by the Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA). The loan component is of Rs.206.00 Crore and the rest is Central Plan component. The Project is being implemented in thirteen States namely Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Mizoram, Nagaland, Uttarakhand, and West Bengal. The states have been selected based on certain criteria, including non-existence of any external aided project in the forestry sector in the concerned states and paucity of training infrastructure. The scheme has two major objectives:

• To strengthen infrastructure of the forestry training schools of SFDs by
  • Improving  existing State Forest Training Schools (SFTS)
  • Establishing new training Schools in those States that do not have one.
• To strengthen training of frontline forestry personnel through:
  • Syllabus revision.
  • Building up a pool of Master Trainers / Trainers.
  • Training of frontline forest force in the States.