Maharashtra Forest Department was awarded with the 9th JSW-Times of India Earth Care Award for the Plantation Management Information System (PMIS) developed for 50-Crore Plantation Drive recognizing Maharashtra Forest Department’s efforts to solve complex climate change challenges. The Plantation Management Information System (PMIS) was developed to ensure near real-time Plantation monitoring. The system comprised a real-time monitoring of massive plantation drive and monitoring of survival rate and vegetation condition on real-time basis. The award recognized all three phases of Plantation Management Information System (PMIS) which involves Pre-plantation Monitoring, Plantation Monitoring and Post-Plantation Survival Monitoring.
Leading by an example, Maharashtra Forest Department made optimum use of Information Technology, which helped create speedier and most importantly, people-oriented administration, an unique initiative to help digitally record the plantation achievements which was never attempted previously. With these developments and ease in work culture, it has translated into higher success rates, improved participation from public and Non-forest stakeholders in the State. The total cumulative achievement of 50-Crore Plantation Drive (from 2016 to 2019) stands at Plantation achievement of 59.13 Crore on 5,88,244 Plantation Sites with participation of 1.56 Crore participants. Maharashtra Forest Department also unveiled a postal envelope to ensure increased public participation in 33-Crore Plantation Drive and to raise awareness on importance of plantation. Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar, to make 33 crore plantation drive a public movement held meetings with all public representatives from Sarpanch to MLAs and MPs.
The Earth Care Awards (ECAs) is a joint initiative of JSW and The Times of India group, the campaign highlights locally evolved climate-friendly practices in the production and consumption regimes across multiple sectors with special reference to climate change. The award recognizes, verifies, and promotes the replicable initiatives and interventions on the greenhouse gasses (GHG) emission reduction, natural resource conservation, energy efficiency improvement, development and promotion of innovative eco-friendly alternatives across various sectors of development. Maharashtra Forest Department’s Plantation Management Information System (PMIS) was chosen winner in the Innovation in Climate Action category, this Award category focuses on development and use of innovative products or services, policies which help in reducing the greenhouse gas emissions and building resilience. Other categories includes Community Based Mitigation And Adaptation In Water Resources, Agriculture, Forestry, Other Land Use, Animal Husbandry And Climate Risk Proofing, Leadership in Urban Climate Action, GHG Mitigation in Large Enterprises and Leadership of Women-Led Enterprise in climate action.
A total of 109 applications were received in the said category, the award was presented after field assessment of plantation sites conducted by evaluation panel and presentation made before the jury led by R.A.Mashelkar, F.R.S, Kartikeya V Sarabhai, Rajendra Shende, Ms Anita Benninger, Shri Rajat Gupta, Dr Ajay Mathur, Dr Suhas Wani and Dr Rakesh KR Singh. The award was presented by C.K.Mishr, Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest, Climate Change, Government of India, Dr. Raghunath Mashelkar, F.R.S, President, Global Research Alliance, Mrs. Sangita Jindal, Chairperson, JSW Foundation and Nandan Srinath, Director, Times of India Group to VikasKharage, Principal Secretary (Forests), Government of Maharashtra, U.K.Agrawal, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Head of Forest Force) and M.K.Rao, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Information, Technology and Policy) at New Delhi on November 13. Maharashtra Forest Department was awarded a Certificate, Trophy and Winning Prize Amount of Rs 3 lakhs, the proceeds received from the recognition will be used for forestry initiatives.
Among the other winner, Ms. Sadhna Deshmukh won the coveted award for women leadership in climate change. An entrepreneur who has enabled 1000+ women in the drought-affected Latur district in Maharashtra to use entrepreneurship to climb out of poverty. Hyderabad based  NGO Dhruvansh wins in the Urban Climate Action category. They dedicated the award to nature ability to self purify with the help of gentle touch from organizations like Dhruvansh. The Environmental Planning Coordination Organization wins for their efforts in the Leadership in Urban Climate action category for rejuvenating wells and water bodies in Bhopal. This recognizes the sincere work by the staff of Maharashtra Forest Department, Non-forest stakeholders along with all sections of society.
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