The Pricing Committee meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, was held today in Shimla and witnessed key decisions aimed at boosting forest revenue and strengthening fire safety mechanisms across Himachal Pradesh. This was the first such meeting since 2022.
The committee approved revised rates for non-timber forest produce and royalty, marking a significant policy shift to enhance state earnings from forest resources.
In a major operational change, the Chief Minister directed the Forest Development Corporation to stop hiring private contractors for extracting cider wood stumps. Instead, the Corporation will undertake the extraction of approximately 10,000 stumps on its own. He instructed the preparation of a detailed roadmap to implement this directive efficiently.
Highlighting the financial impact of sustainable forestry, the Forest Development Corporation presented a cheque of ₹41.30 crore to the Chief Minister as royalty revenue earned from the silviculture felling of Khair and Saal trees. CM Sukhu noted that the felling operations, carried out with the approval of the Supreme Court, have proven beneficial for both the ecosystem and the state exchequer.
With the summer heat increasing the risk of forest fires, CM Sukhu emphasized the need for swift and effective fire prevention measures. He instructed the Forest Department to activate forest fire operation services promptly and ensure active community participation to control fire incidents. Further, he urged officials to focus on improving the survival rates of saplings to sustain forest cover in the long term.
Reviewing the ongoing forest schemes, the Chief Minister also called for the timely disposal of salvage trees to prevent losses and strengthen state revenue generation.
The meeting was attended by Vice Chairman of the State Forest Development Corporation Kehar Singh Khachi, Additional Chief Secretary (Forest) K.K. Pant, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (HoFF) Samir Rastogi, Managing Director of the Corporation Sanjay Sood, and other senior forest officials.
