VP asks forest officers to find optimal balance between conservation and development – myuttarakhandnews.com | Uttarakhand News in English | Dehradun News Today| News Uttarakhand | Uttarakhand latest news

PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/ Dehradun The Vice President CP Radhakrishnan has said that development and conservation are not opposing forces and they can always go hand in hand.  He was addressing the Indian Forest Service probationers of the 2025–2027 batch and officers of the Royal Bhutan Forest Service undergoing training at the Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy (IGNFA), Dehradun on Wednesday. In his address, the VP asked the officers to find the optimal balance between conservation and development, ecological security and livelihoods and present requirements and the interests of future generations. Calling for team excellence rather than individual excellence, he said that sustained collective effort shapes nations and institutions. He emphasised the need to respect the traditional knowledge accumulated by communities that have lived in harmony with forests and natural ecosystems for generations. Emphasising integrity in public service, the VP said that “integrity is non-negotiable” and that the Constitution, law, science and larger public interest should guide difficult decisions. He also encouraged the officers to adopt best practices while adapting them to local realities. Highlighting the growing role of technology in forestry, he called upon the new generation of officers to combine remote sensing, GIS, drones, AI and data-driven systems with field experience, sound judgement and sensitivity towards people. he VP added that modern scientific forestry and India’s civilizational wisdom must complement each other in shaping the country’s sustainable future. Appreciating the increasing participation of women in the forest services, Radhakrishnan said that women constitute about 17 per cent of the present batch, describing it as an encouraging transformation and a testament to Nari Shakti. Congratulating the officer trainees, the Vice President said that they would shoulder the responsibility of managing India’s forests, wildlife, biodiversity and precious natural resources during the crucial decades leading to Viksit Bharat @2047. Advising the officers not to measure their careers merely by the positions they hold, the Vice President urged them to measure their contribution by the forests they restore, wildlife they protect, communities whose confidence they earn and the legacy they leave for future generations. Governor of Uttarakhand lieutenant general ( retd)  Gurmit Singh chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, director, IGNFA Rajendra Prasad and others were present on the occasion.