Saxena, which has enabled communities to restore and sustainably manage forests while providing livelihood benefits.ĭuring my work at UNDP-LBSNAA, I had the opportunity to meet Shri N.C. And if you are in development sector, there is no better way than to work closely with the IAS.Īt national level some important contributions include the formulation of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, by Shri MK Ranjitsinh Jhala, which has helped preserve India's rich wildlife, and the Joint Forest Management program, established in 1991 by Shri N.C.

This year, I look forward to seeing some awards presented in recognition of outstanding contributions to climate resilience, forests, and livelihood.Īlthough these issues fall under the jurisdiction of the forest and environment department, which is under the state forest bureaucracy, the IAS officers as district collectors, and as ACS/PS in State head the Forest Department have high administrative powers to implement changes at both grassroot and policy levels. Since 2006, the Prime Minister's Award for Excellence in Public Administration has been presented to officers who have done exemplary work in their districts on 21st April each year. On April 21st, India celebrates National Civil Services Day, which marks the anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's address to a batch of trainee officers in 1947, where he referred to civil service officers as the steel frame of India. With shrinking UGS in India, such places are likely to be uncommon for urban dwellers and certainly rare for next generation unless there is some planning and implementation of UGS.

Here is one such place- The Platts field in Manchester, which I believe is designed by some one who has read Mc Harg's book. The final product is a place that should be both ecologically rich and aesthetically pleasing. And every time I visit an UGS, I keep wondering at the minute details on planning and developing UGS- soil, hydrology, trees, shrubs, flowering plants etc. I had the opportunity to work on few interesting UGS planning projects. This book introduces the concept of considering local ecology in planning urban green spaces (UGS).

Fortunately, my supervisor introduced me to the book 'Design with Nature' by Ian Mc Harg - a Scottish landscape architect. When I took a job as ecological planner, I had some knowledge on ecology and GIS, and no idea on planning.

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