Madhesh Province Minister States Budget Insufficient for Forest and Wildlife Conservation

Janakpurdham. Madhesh Province Minister for Forests and Environment Shankar Prasad Chaudhary has stated that the budget from the federal and provincial governments is insufficient for the conservation and management of forests and wildlife.

Speaking at an interaction program on forest and wildlife management organized by the Chure River System Conservation Stakeholder Committee and the Federation of Nepali Journalists, Dhanusha, at the Division Forest Office, Dhanusha, Minister Chaudhary said that conservation programs are being conducted despite the limited budget.

He admitted that there have been some shortcomings from the provincial government and stated that the media and citizens have a responsibility to hold the government accountable. He said that he takes criticism based on facts and evidence positively.

Jagannath Prasad Jaishwal, Director of the Provincial Forest Directorate, said that the destruction of natural habitats of wildlife due to deforestation has led to an increase in human-wildlife conflict. He stated that long-term conservation of wildlife is possible only if forests are conserved.

Rajesh Kumar Karna, Central Committee member of the Federation of Nepali Journalists, mentioned that wildlife are in trouble due to the expansion of human settlements in their habitats and increasing human activities, and emphasized the need to make forest areas encroachment-free.

In the program, Som Prasad Sharma, acting chairman of the Chure River System Conservation Stakeholder Committee Amarendra Kumar Yadav, and others expressed their views on various aspects of forest and wildlife conservation.

Binod Singh, chief of the Division Forest Office, Dhanusha, and chairman of the program, stated that there is no alternative to forest conservation, and mentioned that forest areas have expanded in recent years, and the population of wildlife including tigers has also increased.