The Uttarakhand forest department is now looking for funds from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to check forest degradation, developing and enhancing non timber forest products (NTFPs) and improve livelihood activities in the forest areas especially in the post-deluge scenario.
The forest department has applied to the centre for getting a financial loan of Rs 1,155 crore from JICA which had been a pioneer fund agency for forest projects, top officials here said.
"We have submitted our plan for a loan of Rs 1,155 crore for checking forest degradation and other purposes in our state," said a top official of the forest department. Besides checking forest degradation, the funds will also be utilised for community development in van panchayats and create livelihood activities in the forest areas. The plan has already been submitted to the department of economic affairs at the centre. "Our talks are in final stages," said additional principal forest conservator S T S Lepcha.
Earlier in March this year, JICA had agreed to provide an assistance of Rs 655 crore for enhancing and developing NTFPs in the hill state. A five-member team of JICA had arrived in Dehradun to finalise talks in March in this regard.
Since Uttarakhand had been hit by incessant floods in June this year that wreaked havoc in most of its hilly areas and economically weakened them, the forest department decided to seek more funds in the post-deluge scenario from JICA. In this context, the state government held further talks with JICA to increase the loan assistance to Rs 1,155 crore from Rs 655 crore, said Lepcha.
The loan will come in shape of grant where the central assistance will be 90 per cent, the officials added.
Earlier, the state tourism department had approached JICA for a funding of Rs 700 crore for Chardham infrastructure projects. But the tourism project could not find favours with JICA.
