ICFRE & TIFAC sign MoU for supporting forest based communities

New Delhi: The Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE), Dehradun (an Autonomous Council under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change) and Technology Information, Forecasting & Assessment Council (TIFAC), New Delhi (an Autonomous Council under Department of Science and Technology) signed an MoU for with an objective to provide livelihood opportunities and augment income of the forest based communities.

The MOU signed in the presence of Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Dr Harsh Vardhan, in New Delhi on 21st March, would also assist the industries to optimize the utilization of forest-based resources with access of technology to different users.

Complementing the signatories, the Minister said that this would open up the gate of synergy and collaboration between the two organisation in the areas of forest technology, extension and commercialization to various stakeholder including farmers, industries and others.

Through this collaboration, TIFAC shall help ICFRE to refine and up-scale the technologies developed, take technologies to the end users including farmers, State Forest Departments, forest based industries and forest dependent communities in a more effective manner.

The MoU valid for a period of 10 years has salient features such as Prioritization of technologies developed by ICFRE in consultation with stakeholders; Creating patent awareness in the field of forestry and environment including wood science and allied subjects for ICFRE and its institutes; Patent searching and filing in the field of Forestry and allied subjects; Identifying technology gaps and commercialization of technologies; Forest based technologies extension and transfer through stakeholder consultations; and Interaction with stakeholders on regular basis.

The MOU was signed by Dr S C Gairola, Director General, ICFRE, Dehradun and Dr Prabhat Ranjan, Executive Director, TIFAC, at Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), New Delhi this morning. During the MoU signing ceremony, Mr C K Mishra, IAS, Secretary, MoEF&CC, Government of India and Mr Siddhanta Das, IFS, Director General of Forests and Special Secretary, MoEF&CC, Govt. of India, were present along with senior officials of the ministries and both organizations.

ICFRE through its Institutes and Centres located throughout the country is carrying, promoting and coordinating forestry research, extension, education, and their applications. Currently, ICFRE is focusing on contemporary issues of national and international importance particularly in the area of climate change, forest productivity, biodiversity and skill development.

TIFAC looks ahead in technology domain, assesses the technology trajectories, and supports innovation by networked actions in selected areas of national importance. TIFAC continues to strive for technology development in the country by leveraging technology innovation through sustained and concerted programmes in close association with industry and academia.