Latest news with #IFoS
The Print
7 hours ago
- General
- The Print
Once male bastion, Indian Forest Service is now only civil service with all-women national executive
While two office-bearers of the newly elected council who spoke on condition of anonymity told ThePrint that the election of an all-women council was not specifically intended, they agreed that it marks a significant moment in the history of the All India Service (AIS), which has for long been considered a male bastion. In the elections conducted for the national executive council, Jyotsna Sitling, an officer of the 1987 Batch was elected Patron, Anita Karan of the 1997 Batch was elected President, Monalisa Dash of the 2003 Batch was elected Secretary General, Dr Surbhi Rai of the 2005 Batch was elected Joint Secretary, and Chestha Singh of the 2018 Batch was elected Literary Secretary. New Delhi: It was in 1980 that for the first time three women were appointed officers in the Indian Forest Service (IFoS). Last week, 35 years later, even as the proportion of women in the IFoS remains low, the service has created history by appointing an all-women national council. While the IFoS was created in its present form as an AIS alongside the IAS and the IPS in 1966, the first women entered the service in 1980. According to the latest data, as of 2021, of the estimated strength of around 2,100 IFoS officers serving at the time, 284, or 13.5 percent, were women. 'There are very few women in the IFoS,' said an officer who did not wish to be named. 'Most batches don't have more than 10 percent women. In my batch, there are no more than 6-7 women. In my cadre in my batch, I am the only woman,' she said. Adding, 'You don't face in-your-face discrimination anymore, but it is still considered one of those services ill-suited for women. 'A lot of women themselves believe that they should be in urban areas, which are more conducive for raising families than be in the jungles.' The broad mandate of the IFoS entails 'the implementation of the National Forest Policy which envisages scientific management of forests and to exploit them on a sustained basis for primary timber products, among other things'. Constituted in 1966 under the All India Services Act, 1951, the IFoS has a cadre strength of 3,152 officers. 'Even within the forests, the resistance that IFoS officers generally face from people is doubled in the case of women,' another woman officer added. 'You are both an outsider and a woman, so the hostility is higher.' Then there are the issues of the barely-existent infrastructure like toilets, private spaces, etc. for women. It is not just the perils involved in the line of duty that these officers have to navigate, but also dealing with the land mafia, mining mafia, problems arising from Left Wing Extremism (LWE) and above all, political pressures that make their job much harder. 'Some of the problems are gendered, but not all,' said the officer. 'The main issue with being an IFoS officer is that from politicians to people to businesses, everyone thinks of us as a roadblock. Given that we are far away from public glare also means that we are not part of the mainstream imagination at all.' However, these are just teething problems. Within 5-7 years, even IFoS officers come to the secretariats or get urban postings, she said. Once considered a bastion of the IAS, a large number of IFoS officers are posted at the Centre in different ministries on deputation now. As of October 2024, there were four additional secretaries and 16 joint secretaries who belonged to the IFoS. (Edited by Viny Mishra) Also read: MP govt order letting DMs evaluate forest officers puts conservation in jeopardy—IFS Association
Time of India
19-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
IFS officer red-flags ‘country's costliest' Miyawaki project
Dehradun: A proposal by Dehradun forest division to implement a Miyawaki plantation at an estimated cost of Rs 52 lakh per hectare raised serious concerns, prompting whistleblower Indian Forest Service (IFoS) officer Sanjiv Chaturvedi to call for an immediate probe into the unusually high expenditure. In a letter sent in April 2025 to the head of forest force Dhananjai Mohan, Chaturvedi, currently chief conservator of forests (research wing), termed the cost "potentially the highest in the country for such a project". He flagged a proposed 18,333 sapling purchase cost of Rs 100 each for three years, compared to the forest department's research wing's standard rate of Rs 10 for saplings grown in nurseries. Chaturvedi Miyawaki initiative in Kalsi, Dehradun, received praise from the former director general of forests of the ministry of environment, forest and climate change, CP Goyal, in 2023. As part of that project, which addressed soil erosion issues, 9,000 saplings of 70 native species were grown on over one hectare at a cost of around Rs 14 lakh. He also flagged a similar proposal in the Mussoorie forest division, where the plan included planting 7-8 ft tall saplings worth Rs 100-400 each. That project, pegged at Rs 4.25 crore over five years, was deemed "scientifically flawed and financially excessive". by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Calcula cuánto podrías ganar invirtiendo en CFD de AES ofertas especiales Registrarse Undo Chaturvedi recommended limiting it to 2 hectares and suggested six alternative sites of 1 hectare each in Mussoorie. In response, Uttarakhand forest minister Subodh Uniyal assigned senior officer Kapil Lal to investigate the matter. "In Dehradun, preliminary work like pit digging and manure application was done. In Mussoorie, funds were surrendered on March 31 and saplings were not purchased. An inquiry is underway," Uniyal said on Thursday.
The Hindu
04-06-2025
- General
- The Hindu
HMT land: Govt. orders suspension of IFoS officer Gokul
The State government has suspended Additional Principal Conservator of Forests R. Gokul in connection with a case filed in the Supreme Court seeking permission to denotify 443 acres of HMT forest land. The suspension order states that the IFoS officer without obtaining the approval of the then Minister in-charge or sanction from the State Cabinet, filed an interlocutory application (IA) before the Supreme Court seeking permission for denotification of lands granted to HMT measuring 443 acres 6 guntas at Peenya Jalahalli Plantation. Following this the Forest, Ecology and Environment Department issued preliminary notices to former IAS officer Sandeep Dave, then Additional Chief Secretary in the department, former IFoS officer Vijay Kumar Gogi, then Principal Secretary in the department, IFoS officer Smitha Bijjur, then Principal Secretary in the department, and Mr. Gokul, then Chief Conservator of Forests and Litigation Conducting officer, in the said IA. 'The replies received by the said officers have been examined by the department and referred along with the opinion of the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms to examine and initiate necessary action,' stated the order. It further stated that after the issue of preliminary notice by the department, Mr. Gokul wrote to the CBI without prior intimation or obtaining permission of the State government for seeking protection with reference to Belekeri port iron ore theft cases and also to investigate the reasons for issuing a notice and defaming through news articles and to provide him adequate protection. The State government then examined the necessary files and records in the said matter and sought a report on the denotification of lands granted to HMT under Forest Conservation Act, 1980. It also investigated if there are any lapses and any irregularities committed by the officers in the said matter. 'In violation of Rule 17 of A11 India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968 and the State government is prima facie satisfied that it is necessary to place R. Gokul, IFoS under suspension with immediate effect, pending inquiry,' the order stated. It also directed that the officer during the period of suspension to not leave the headquarters without the written permission of the State government.
The Print
08-05-2025
- Business
- The Print
IFoS officer S Narayanan to head higher education in Haryana
Previously, Narayanan has also served as the director general of New & Renewable Energy. S Narayanan, a 1997-batch IFoS officer, has been appointed the director general and secretary of the higher education department in place of Rahul Hooda (IAS, 2015), who replaces Narayanan as special secretary in the Revenue and Disaster Management Department. Gurugram: In a major administrative reshuffle, the Haryana government has transferred 12 Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers and one Indian Forest Service (IFoS) officer with immediate effect. Other key appointments in the transfers list released late Wednesday evening include T.L. Satyaprakash (2002-batch IAS) as the commissioner and secretary of the transport department, succeeding Ashok Khemka who retired 30 April. Satyaprakash also retains his duties as the Commissioner and Secretary of the Mines & Geology Department and the CEO of Drone Imaging and Information Systems of Haryana Ltd. (DRIISHYA). C.G. Rajini Kanthan, a 2004-batch IAS officer, was named commissioner and secretary of the human resources department, relieving Vijayendra Kumar of the responsibility. Kanthan will continue as the secretary in the finance department, general administration department and the central committee of examinations. Other notable transfers include Shekhar Vidyarthi (IAS, 2004 batch), who was appointed as fire services director general, and as commissioner and secretary of the archives department in place of Amneet P. Kumar. Amna Tasneem (2012-batch IAS) moves from her role as the administrator of the Panchkula-based Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) and Urban Estate Additional Director (Panchkula) to become the director of the foreign cooperation department, succeeding Sanjeev Verma. Sachin Gupta (2018-batch IAS), previously district municipal commissioner and commissioner of the Ambala Municipal Corporation, succeeds Tasneem at Panchkula-based roles. Ayush Sinha (2018-batch IAS) transitions from the role of the municipal commissioner and commissioner of the Yamunanagar Municipal Corporation to the role of the commissioner of the Manesar municipal body. Ayush Sinha has been replaced by 2018-batch officer Akhil Pilani, formerly additional deputy commissioner-cum-district citizen resources information officer, Palwal. Anand Kumar Sharma (2019-batch IAS) moves from his role as the additional deputy commissioner-cum-district citizen resources information officer and Mahendragarh municipal commissioner to district municipal commissioner and commissioner of the Rohtak municipal corporation. Saloni Sharma of the same batch, who was additional deputy commissioner-cum-district citizen resources information officer and district municipal commissioner of Jhajjar, has been appointed as additional commissioner of the Faridabad municipal corporation. Dr. Balpreet Singh (2019 batch) shifts from Gurugram municipal corporation as additional commissioner to Ambala as district municipal commissioner and commissioner, replacing Sachin Gupta. Karnal additional deputy commissioner Yash Jaluka (2021-batch IAS) was appointed additional commissioner of the Gurugram municipal corporation in place of Singh. (Edited by Ajeet Tiwari) Also Read: Haryana govt says Centre has approved plans for state's 1st IIT, MPs lobby for their constituencies
