Essentiality of fast-growing tree species in Krushi Aranya Prothsaha Yojane

Abstract

Krushi Aranya Prothsaha Yojane (KAPY) is a special programme launched by the Government of Karnataka1. In this programme, the Forest Department raises quality seedlings in forest nurseries and distributes seedlings to the farmers, public and NGOs at subsidized rates, and also pays incentives to the farmers to encourage them to grow native tree species on their farmlands. Incentives of Rs 10, 15 and 20 have been paid for each seedling that survived after the first, second and third year respectively. Evaluation of the seedlings would be done by the forest officers1. In 2017, the incentive amount was increased to Rs 30, 30 and 40 for the first, second and third year respectively, for each surviving seedling at the end of each growing period2. As the Government of Karnataka decided to implement this programme in all villages of the state, Department of Forest required large-scale manpower to work at various levels. Thus, Village Forest Committees formed under the Karnataka Sustainable Forest Management and Bio-diversity Conservation, and National Afforestation Programme–Forest Development Agency, forest promoters and volunteers working in association with these schemes, NGOs and Federation of NGOs have been involved for creating awareness, registration, pitting, transportation of seedlings, planting, guidance for after care, protection and reporting the survivability per cent to the concerned Range Forest Office3. Accordingly, the state Government has also fixed payment to the participating NGOs, agencies or voluntaries Rs 2 per seedling for creating awareness, registration of farmers, digging of pits, transportation and ensuring planting at the right time in the first year. In the second, third and fourth years, Rs 1 per surviving seedling has been paid as service charge for providing guidance to the farmers regarding aftercare and protection, counting of surviving seedlings, preparation and submission of estimation to the Range Forest Officer about the incentives to be distributed to the beneficiary farmers and its disbursement.