Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi marked the 76th Van Mahotsav by announcing a comprehensive restructuring of state-level environmental awards and launching ambitious initiatives for afforestation, tribal empowerment, and forest protection.
In a ceremonial event held at BM High School, Old Bhubaneswar, the CM awarded the joint Chief Minister’s State Award for Forest Protection to Tulangapadar Forest Protection Committee (Kalahandi North Division) and Pahadpur Forest Protection Committee (Karanjia Division), each receiving Rs 4 lakh and certificates for their outstanding forest fire prevention and patrolling efforts.
The state aims to plant 7.5 crore saplings under the Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam 2.0 campaign in 2025, following the success of the previous year’s 6.69 crore plantation, which secured Odisha the 4th rank in India.
To boost tribal livelihood, the CM announced the establishment of 100 forest produce processing centres, focused on products like sal, bamboo, and medicinal herbs, targeting revenue generation of over Rs 5,000 crore.
The government also plans to generate 10 lakh green livelihoods under the Vision Odisha 2036 program, positioning Odisha as a model for eco-tourism and community-based forest conservation.
Further emphasising wildlife protection, the CM revealed a Rs 50 crore initiative for Similipal National Park following its official national recognition, including the adoption of AI-based wildfire detection systems.
He also increased compensation for human-wildlife conflict victims, with ex gratia raised from Rs 6 lakh to Rs 10 lakh for fatalities.
Environment Minister Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia unveiled this year’s theme—”Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam”, emphasising emotional connection and environmental responsibility.
It is worth noting that March 21 is World Forest Day, June 5 is World Environment Day, Forest Festival Week is celebrated in July and Wildlife Week is celebrated in October. In all these programs, awards are given to various employees, institutions and individuals. Since it is a social responsibility, there is a need to provide more encouragement to everyone. Keeping this in mind, the state government has reorganised all these awards. The number of awards and the amount of awards have also increased. All these awards are effective from today.
These awards are-
World Forest Day (March 21)
• State Forest Award for field employees of the Forest Department- In this, 4 forest rangers, 12 foresters and 24 forest guards will be awarded. All will be awarded with a certificate, a medal and Rs. 10,000.
• Award for excellent performance in the field of forestation or tree plantation – In this, an award of Rs. 10,000 will be given to one educational institution of each subdivision and Rs. 20,000 to one Gram Panchayat of each subdivision.
World Environment Day (June 5)
• Prakruti Mitra Award – In this, a village, an educational institution, or a registered organisation of each block will be awarded Rs. 10,000 for outstanding work.
• Prakruti Dushu Award – In this, an award of Rs. 5,000 will be given to one person of each block for outstanding work in creating awareness for environmental protection.
Forest Festival Week (First week of July)
• Chief Minister’s Award for Forest Protection and Conservation – In this, a state-level award will be given to a Forest Protection Committee that has done outstanding work in forest protection. In this, a prize money of Rs. 4 lakh will be given along with a certificate. In addition, one Forest Protection Committee in each subdivision will be awarded Rs. 50,000 for outstanding work.
Wildlife Week (October)
• Chief Minister’s Award for Wildlife Conservation – In this, a state-level award will be given to an individual or an institution for outstanding work in the conservation of wildlife and biodiversity. It will carry a certificate and a prize money of Rs. 4 lakh. Similarly, a certificate and a prize money of Rs 25 thousand will be given for outstanding work at each subdivision level.
