In a cabinet meeting yesterday, chaired by CM Vijay Bahuguna, the 50 per cent reservation to women in Van Panchayats is approved.

My view:

If the Uttarakhand Government wants to preserve its forests, flora and fauna; then the very idea of Van Panchayats is obsolete now. If you allow people fuel and fodder rights in forests, then courtesy increased population in many villages, the forests, along with its fauna, will deplete sooner than thought of.

Instead, the government should strictly preserve forests and try providing people alternate sources of fuel and  fodder through PDS like arrangement.





----