GOVERNMENT OF
ANDHRA PRADESH
ABSTRACT
Forest Department - A.P. Community Forest Management
Project - Comprehensive Orders - Issued.
ENVIRONMENT FOREST SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY (FOR.III)
DEPARTMENT
G.O.MS.No.13.
Dated: 12 .2 .2002
Read
the following:-
1.G.O.Ms.No.218, E.F.E.S&T (For.VI)
Dept., dt. 28.08.92.
2.G.O.
Ms. No. 181 EFS&T (FOR II-I) Dept. dt. 24-8-1993
3.G. O. Ms.
No. 182 EFES&T Dept. dt. 24-8-1993
4.G. O. Ms.
No. 183 E.F.E.S&T. (FOR II-1) Dept. dt. 24-8-1993
5.G.O.Ms.No.224, E.F.E.S&T (For.II)
Dept., dt. 11.11.93.
6.G.O. Ms. No. 10 EFS&T (For VI) Dept. dt. 31.01. 1996
7.G. O. Ms. No. 173 E.F.S&T. (For III) Dept. dt. 07.12.1996
8.G.O. Ms. No. 115 EFS&T (PMU) Dept. dt. 25.9.1997
9.G. O. Ms. No. 21 EFS&T 9For III) Dept. dt. 05.03.1998
10.G. O. Ms. No. 66 EFS&T (For III) Dept. 04.05.1999
11.G.O. Ms. No. 43 EFS&T (For III) Dept. dt. 07.04.2000
12.PCCF. Rc. No. 34234/ 2001/ PMU –III/1 Dt 20.10.2001
-oOo-
O R D E R :
-
Following the guidelines of the Government of India and in compliance with the
provisions of National Forest Policy, 1988, the Government of Andhra Pradesh
have issued orders in the reference 1st read above for improvement of degraded
forests through the participation of local people by introduction of the Joint
Forest Management (JFM) programme.
-
These Orders have been amended from time to time through GOs
5th
and 7th read above
-
In the references 2nd, 3rd and 4th read above
orders have been issued constituting State, District level and ITDA level
committees for ensuring inter sectoral coordination for the programme. In
the reference 8th read aboveorders issued in the reference 3rd
cited were modified regarding sharing the usufruct arising out of forests
managed under JFM. In the reference 6th , 9th and 11th
read above orders have been issued granting incentives to VSS for their role in apprehending those
involved in commission of forest offence cases. In the references 10th
read above orders have been issued granting incentives to VSS for their role in
collection of Beedi Leaves.
-
In the reference 12th
read above, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests of Andhra Pradesh has
submitted proposals for refining the programme and implementing Community Forest
Management as an advance over Joint Forest Management.
-
In the light of all the above
G.Os and the proposal of the Principal Chief Conservator
of Forests, Andhra Pradesh, it has been decided to modify the orders issued on
the subject and to implement Community Forest Management in the State of Andhra
Pradesh as an advance over Joint Forest Management.
-
The Government, after careful consideration and in modification of all the
earlier orders issued on the subject hereby issue the following revised and
comprehensive orders for implementing the Community Forest Management in the
State of Andhra Pradesh with immediate effect.
-
Accordingly Government hereby direct that the local village community be
constituted into a "Vana Samrakshana Samithi"
(Samithi for short) and the
Samithies already constituted to carry out the forest programmes jointly with the Forest Department
as per the
rules annexed to this order
- The salient
features and the rules applicable
under the scheme are detailed in the
Annexure I and II to this order.
- This order issues with the concurrence of Finance
& Planning (Fin. Wing Exp.MA&UD & EFS&T) Department vide their U.O. No. 1502/26/A2/Exp. M&F/02,
dt.6.2.02
(BY ORDER AND IN THE NAME OF THE GOVERNOR OF ANDHRA PRADESH)
H.S.BRAHMA
PRINCIPAL SECRETARY TO GOVERNMENT.
TO
The Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, A.P. Hyderabad.
All the District Collectors.
The Accountant General, Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad.
The Commissioner Tribal Welfare, Hyderabad.
The Commissioner, Social Welfare, Hyderabad.
All the Project Directors, ITDAs in the State.
All the Project Directors, DRDAs in the State.
The Commissioner, Panchayat Raj Hyderabad.
The Commissioner Rural Development,
Hyderabad.
Copy to:-
Country Director, India, World Bank
India Office, 69/70, Lodi Estate, New Delhi.
The Prl. Secretary, Revenue Department.
The Secretary, Commissioner of Land Revenue, Hyderabad.
The Secretary, Social Welfare Department.
The Secretary, Panchayat Raj Department
The Secretary, Rural Development Department.
The Secretary, Food & Agriculture Department.
The Prl. Secretary, Finance & Planning (Exp.EFST&T)
Department.
The Vice Chairman, Managing Director, A.P.F.D.C.Ltd.,
Hyderabad.
The Advisor (Forests), DPAP, Dept.
of Rural Development, Govt. of India,
C.G.O. Complex, Paryavaran Bhavan, New Delhi-110 003.
The Secretary to Govt. of India, Ministry of Environment & Forests,
C.G.O. Complex, Lodi Road, New Delhi-110 003.
The Joint Secretary to Govt. of India, National
Afforestation & Eco-development Board, Ministry of
Environment & Forests, C.G.O. Complex, Lodi Road, New Delhi-110 003.
The Asst. Inspector General of Forests, National Afforestation & Eco-development
Board,
Ministry of Environment & Forests, C.G.O. Complex, Lodi Road, New Delhi-110 003.
All Forest Sections in the E.F.S&T Department.
P.S. to Principal Secretary.
P.S. to Special Secretary (3 copies).
P.R.O. to C.M.
P.S. to Minister for Forests.
E.F.S&T (OP) Dept. (3 copies)
Director, State Archives, Osmania University Campus,
Tarnaka, Hyderabad
SF / SC.
// FORWARDED :: BY ORDER //
SECTION
OFFICER.
ANNEXURE - I
I. Constitution of Vana Samrakshana Samithi:
a)
Any Forest Officer not below the rank of Forest Range
Officer shall call for a meeting of the adult members of all households residing
in village / hamlet / cluster of villages / cluster of hamlets situated within 5
kms
of forest boundary.
b)
The concept of Community Forest Management including all
rights and responsibilities of the V.S.S. members and the Forest Department
shall be explained in the meeting.
c)
If a minimum of 50% of households agree in writing to
constitute a Vana Samrakshana Samithi, the Forest Range Officer shall
send proposal to the Divisional Forest Officer for constitution of
Vana Samrakshana
Samithi.
d)
Upon receipt of proposal, the Divisional Forest Officer
may order constitution of the Vana
Samrakshana Samithi.
e)
All the Villagers who agree for constitution of
Vana Samrakshana
Samithi shall be enrolled by the Forest Range Officer as
members of the Vana
Samrakshana Samithi, subject
to the following conditions:
i) Each household shall have a maximum of
two members out of whom one shall be a woman.
ii)
All households of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and
those headed by women in the village shall be enrolled automatically as members
subject to clause I. e) i) above.
iii) The membership of tribals in the V.S.S.
in the scheduled areas shall always be more than that of non-tribals.
II. Duties and Responsibilities of Vana
Samrakshana Samithi:
The members of Vana Samrakshana Samithi, individually and collectively shall be responsible to:
a)
Ensure protection of forest and
assist the Forest Department in protecting the adjoining forests whenever such
assistance is sought for by the department.
b)
Make other villagers aware of the
importance of forests.
c)
Prepare micro-plans and annual
plans in accordance with the corresponding working plan (as outlined below).
d)
Manage forests in accordance with
the approved micro-plan / annual plan.
e)
Apprehend offenders of forest law
and hand them over to the concerned authorities to take action under the
provisions of the relevant Forest Acts and Rules.
f)
For minor offences the V.S.S. can
collect advance Compounding Fees not exceeding Rs. 100/- (rupees one hundred
only). The amount so collected shall be remitted by the V.S.S. to the Joint.
Account (VSS account). Details of such remittances shall be reported to the
Forest Beat Officer concerned and recorded in the V.S.S. book of accounts. The
concerned Forest Officer authorized under the relevant Forest Acts and Rules
will book the offence by issuing the P.O.R. and take follow up action as per the
departmental procedures. Upon completion of departmental procedure, the V.S.S.
will retain 50% of the compounding fees and return the balance 50% to the Forest
Beat Officer for remitting to the Government.
III. Constitution of Managing Committee:
a)
After constitution of the Vana Samrakhana Samithi as explained above, a Managing Committee shall be constituted to
oversee preparation of V.S.S. micro-plans and annual plans and the
implementation of the same.
b)
The Managing Committee shall have 15 elected
representatives from V.S.S. of which at least 8 shall be Women Members.
c)
The Forest Section Officer shall convene the General
Body meeting for electing the Managing Committee and shall oversee the election
process.
d)
The Managing Committee shall then elect a Chairperson
and a Vice Chairperson from amongst themselves. Either one or both of the
Chairperson and Vice Chairperson shall be woman/women. For this election also the Forest Section Officer
shall oversee the process.
e)
In Scheduled area all the elected members of the
Managing Committee shall be either from Scheduled Tribes or Scheduled Castes.
f)
In areas other than Scheduled
areas membership in the Managing Committee shall be reserved for Scheduled
Castes and Scheduled Tribes in proportion to their households.
g)
The tenure of the Managing Committee shall be 3 years.
h)
The Forest Range Officer, in consultation with the
V.S.S. and Sarpanch of the villages, shall earmark
forests in the vicinity of the V.S.S. for Community Forest Management. The
boundaries of this forest area shall conform as far as possible to pre-existing
and accepted boundaries of the concerned communities.
i)
A Memorandum of Understanding in
the format appended to this order shall be read out in the General Body Meeting
and signed by the Chairperson and Vice Chairperson on behalf of the
Vana
Samrakshana Samithi
and by the Forest Range Officer on behalf of the Government.
IV. Duties and Responsibilities of the V.S.S. Chairperson and
Vice Chairperson
a)
The Chairperson of the V.S.S. shall convene the General Body and Managing
Committee meetings.
b)
The Vice Chairperson shall assist and work closely with the Chairperson in the
performance of his/her duties.
c)
The Chairperson shall maintain the record of the proceedings and other documents
like Cheque Books, Joint Account, Minutes Book,
Managing Committee Resolution Book, Annual Plan, Micro-Plan, Estimates for Works
etc. A copy of the record of proceedings of the meetings conducted shall be sent
to the Forest Range Officer.
All records
including Cheque Books, Joint Account, Minutes Book,
Managing Committee Resolution Book, Annual Plan, Micro-plan, Estimates for Works
and all other records deemed necessary, should be in the custody of Chairperson/
Vice Chairperson,
Convening General Body Meeting:
a) General Body Meeting shall be held at least
once in every six months to discuss implementation of the micro-plan / annual
plan and to review all related financial transactions. An advance notice of
7 days shall be given for convening the General Body Meeting.
b)
Under special circumstances, the General Body Meeting of the V.S.S. may be
convened provided not less than 1/3rd of the V.S.S. members agree to
convene such a meeting and make such a request to the Chairperson. Where the
Chairperson does not convene the meeting, the concerned Forest Section Officer
shall convene the meeting.
c) The quorum for convening a General Body Meeting shall be at
least 50% of members of the
General Body and out of them 50% shall be
women.
Convening Managing Committee Meeting:
a)
The quorum for convening a meeting
of the Managing Committee shall be at least 2/3rd of the members of
the Managing Committee. Out of these at least 50% shall be women.
b)
Managing Committee shall meet at least once every month.
The Managing Committee meeting may be convened on any pre decided day or through
an advance notice of 3 days.
c)
In case at least half of the members of the Managing
Committee decide to meet, the Chairperson of the VSS shall convene a meeting of
the Managing Committee. Where the Chairperson does not convene the meeting the
concerned Forest Section Officer shall convene the meeting.
V. Duties and responsibilities of Managing Committee:
a)
The Managing Committee shall be responsible to manage
and implement all the decisions of the V.S.S.
b)
The Managing Committee shall assign duties and
responsibilities to the Members and may constitute Sub-Committees as needed with
a view to ensure implementation of the V.S.S. micro-plan and annual plan.
c)
The Managing Committee in consultation with the General
Body shall evolve methodology on all issues relating to membership, conflict
resolution, encroachments, customary rights, and benefit sharing.
d)
It shall be the responsibility of the Managing Committee
to account for and manage the funds and other resources received from the
Government, other sources and the funds internally generated.
e)
For the purpose of management of funds received from
Government, a joint account shall be opened in any commercial, rural or
cooperative bank recognized by the Reserve Bank of India or any Post Office.
Such account will be held and operated jointly by the Chairperson, Vice
Chairperson and the concerned Forest Section Officer/Forest Beat Officer/
Assistant Beat Officer as nominated by the concerned Forest Range Officer. This
account will be called the ‘Government Account’.
f)
For the purpose of management of
funds received from other Non – Government sources and the ones internally
generated, an account in any bank shall be operated. Such V.S.S. account shall
be held and operated jointly by the Chairperson and the Vice Chairperson. This
account will be called ‘VSS Account’.
g)
As part of micro-plan preparation a reinvestment program
to maintain and enhance the productivity of the forest will be developed and the
Managing Committee will be responsible for overseeing the implementation of the
reinvestment program according to the agreed micro-plan.
VI. Constitution and
Responsibilities of the Advisory Council at the V.S.S. level
a)
For each V.S.S. there shall be an Advisory Council
comprising of the concerned Forest Section Officer, Forest Beat Officer or
Forest Assistant Beat Officer, the Panchayat
Sarpanch, representative of the Village Tribal
Development Agency in scheduled areas (to be nominated by the ITDA), the Village
Administrative Officer, the NGO actively involved in assisting the V.S.S., and
Village School Headmaster/Headmistress.
b)
The Panchayat
Sarpanch shall chair the advisory council meetings. If
for any reason he / she is unable to attend the meeting the Forest Section
Officer shall preside over.
c)
Constitution of the advisory body shall be the
responsibility of the Forest Range Officer.
d)
Convening meetings of the Advisory Council shall be the
responsibility of the Forest Section Officer. Advisory council meetings should
be held to facilitate their timely input into micro-plan and annual plan
preparation and evaluation and also to coordinate the activities of other
departments at V.S.S. level.
e)
The Advisory Council
will review micro-plans and annual plans and advise the V.S.S. on strategies and
available resources for implementing them.
f)
The advisory council shall meet as often as
required.
VII. Constitution and
responsibilities of the District Forest Committee and ITDA Level Sub-Committee
and Forest Division level Coordinating Committee:
A District Forestry Committee
shall be constituted with the following;
-
District Collector Chairman
-
Project Director, District Rural Development Agency Member
-
Project Director, DPIP Member
-
Project Officer, Integrated Tribal Development Agency Member
-
Representative of GCC at District level Member
-
District Tribal Welfare Officer Member
-
Executive Director, Dist. S.C.S.C. Society Member
-
Joint Director, Agriculture Member
-
Joint Director, Animal Husbandry Member
-
All the Divisional Forest Officers in the District Member
- Three NGOs (including at least one Woman
Delegate; Member
to be nominated by
the AP NGOs Committee on CFM)
-
5 V.S.S. members nominated by the District Collector Member
(at least 3 members
shall be women)
Head quarters Divisional
Forest Officer will be the Convener of the Committee.The tenure of the nominated
members shall be one year.
The
responsibilities of the District Forest Committee will be as follows;
(a)
The District Forestry Committee shall review
implementation of Community Forest Management and provide direction to the
Forest Department and other Departments in the holistic development of villages
and hamlets where VSS are operating and in adjacent villages and hamlets that
may be affected by the implementation of CFM.
(b)
The Committee shall also ensure that there are no
duplication of efforts by the various Departments.
(c)
The District Forest Committee shall convey any
observations or concerns that require State-level intervention to the State
Level Forest Committee.
(d)
The District Forestry Committee shall meet
atleast once in three months.
(e)
The District Forestry Committee shall have powers to
remove any member of the Managing Committee from the Managing Committee who is
convicted of offence(s) under any of the Forest Acts and Rules there under and /
or any other offence punishable under any law, or to cancel recognition any
Vana
Samrakshana Samithi
majority of whose members are convicted of having committed offence(s) under any
of the Forest Acts and Rules there under and / or convicted of any other
offence(s) punishable under any law. The District Forestry Committee shall have
powers to cancel recognition of to any V.S.S. which does not function
effectively. The decision of the District Forest Committee shall be final.
Sub-Committee at the ITDA level
A Sub Committee shall be constituted with following;
-
Project Officer, ITDA Chairman
-
Two NGOs (atleast one shall be woman)Member (To be nominated by the C. F.)
-
Ten V.S.S. members (atleast four shall be women)Member
(To be nominated by the C.F.)
-
GCC Representative Member
- Sub DFO/ DFO at ITDA headquarters Member
Convener
The Subcommittee will be responsible for:
-
Review the implementation of C.F.M activities
-
Coordinate the activities of the various Government departments to ensure
holistic development and avoid duplication of works.
-
Resolve inter V.S.S. conflicts and conflicts between the V.S.S. and non V.S.S.
conflicts.
-
The committee shall meet once in three months.
Forest Division level coordination committee
A coordination committee shall be constituted
at Forest Division level with the following:
1. Divisional Forest Officer Chairman
2. One representatives each from Agriculture,Department,
Animal Husbandry Department, Rural development(DRDA),Department,
Tribal Welfare Department, ITDA, Social Welfare, District S.C.
Society, GCC, NEDCAP Members
3. Three NGOs Members
4. 5 VSS chairpersons, (atleast
3 women) Members
This committee is responsible for:
1.
This committee shall meet every month and monitor functioning of VSS
2.
Implementation of decisions taken in
the District Forestry Committee and other meetings.
3.
Ensure coordination of all concerned departments and agencies for proper
functioning of VSS.
VIII. Constitution and
Responsibilities of the State Level Forest Committee
A State level committee shall be constituted with the following
to coordinate the Community Forest Management. The committee shall meet once in
six months and review the progress of Community Forest Management.
-
Prl. Secretary Environment, Forests, Science and Technology Department Chairman
-
Pr. Secretary Social Welfare or his nominee Member
-
Secy.
Panchayat Raj Member
-
Secy. Rural Development Member
-
Managing Director A.P.F.D.C. Member
-
Commissioner, Tribal Welfare Member
-
Director, Animal Husbandry Department Member
-
Commissioner, Agriculture Department Member
-
Managing Director, G.C.C. Member
-
Nominee of Secretary, Finance Member
-
Director, Women and Child Welfare Department Member
-
NGOs 2 Nos. (nominated by the AP NGOs Committee on CFM) Member
-
Representative of Ministry of Environment and Forests (Govt.of
India) Member
-
Prl. Chief Conservator of Forests, A.P. Hyderabad.Member Convener
X. Duties and
Responsibilities of Forest Department
a)
The field level staff shall work in close liaison with the V.S.S.
b)
The forest department staff shall
ensure that the activities of the V.S.S. are in accordance with the guidelines
of Community Forest Management issued in this order and other rules and laws in force of G.O.I. and G.O.A.P.
c)
In all cases where offenders
against forest laws have been handed over to the forest officers the concerned
forest beat officer shall inform the Managing Committee on subsequent action
taken and any fees due to them.
d)
Until such time as the V.S.S. can
undertake the task, the forest department shall prepare estimates for works.
V.S.S. which are able to take up this responsibility are encouraged to do so at
the earliest.
e)
To facilitate review of the cost
of works the Forest Section / Beat Officer shall provide copies of the Forest
Schedule Rates to the V.S.S. Managing Committee in a timely manner.
f)
The Forest Department will impart
trainings to V.S.S. members on aspects of forest management including but not
limited to management planning, use of Global Positioning System, map
interpretation, silviculture, nursery raising,
grafting of high yielding varieties, etc.
g)
To reduce the problem of the VSS
chairperson approaching the D.F.O. and forest range officer frequently for
N.T.F.P. permits, the D.F.O. may sanction sufficient number of permits for NTFP
in advance and keep with the concerned Forest Section Officer
XI. Role of NGOs., NGIs, other line agencies,
a)
Associated NGOs, NGIs, and other
competent authorities will facilitate the functioning of the V.S.S. and impart
training to V.S.S. on marketing and value addition of the forest produce,
accounting procedures, Micro-credit, conflict resolution etc.
XII. Rights and Privileges of the Vana
Samrakshana Samithi:
1. Vana Samrakshana
Samithi shall be entitled to the following forest
produce obtained from forests managed by them;
a)
All Non-timber Forest Produce.
b)
100% of the incremental volume of timber and bamboo
harvested from the forest (in accordance with the agreed micro-plan or annual
plan), as measured from a baseline established at the time of VSS formation (or
in absence of a baseline as estimated and agreed by a majority of VSS members).
The same shall be passed on to the Vana Samrakshana Samithi as prescribed below:
i)
Domestic requirement of the forest
products will be set apart and distributed among all the V.S.S. members as per
the norms evolved by the Managing Committee. The surplus quantity may be
disposed as decided by the managing committee.
ii)
Any expenditure incurred by the
Government on the harvesting and disposal shall be reimbursed to the Government.
iii)
Expenditure necessary to sustain
the productivity of the forests as per the micro-plan shall be deposited in the
V.S.S. joint account. This amount shall not be less than 50% of the net income.
iv)
Balance income shall be deposited
in the V.S.S. account and utilized as per decisions taken by the General Body of
the Vana
Samrakshana Samithi.
2. For offence cases handed over by the Vana Samrakshana Samithi to the forest department, the V.S.S. shall be entitled to a 50% share
of Compounding fees as prescribed below;
a)
The forest produce seized shall
not be from the V.S.S. area.
b)
No V.S.S. member should be
involved in the forest offence.
c)
The advance compounding fees
collected if any shall be deposited into the joint account ( VSS Account) till
such time the competent authority issues compounding orders. This amount shall
not be utilized for any purpose.
d)
It shall be at the discretion of
the compounding authority to compound the offence as provided under the A.P.
Compounding and Prosecution rules.
e)
The V.S.S. shall not be paid any
amount unless Compounding Fees are collected.
f)
If the competent authority does
not compound the case, V.S.S. will be sanctioned 50% of the value of the produce
as incentive.
The value of the produce for this purpose will be taken as the same as the
value of the produce recorded in the offence case. . This incentive amount shall be paid only after the
completion of confiscation proceedings by the competent officer.
g)
The share of the V.S.S. shall be
paid from the compounding fees collected and the balance shall be remitted to
the Government by the forest department.
h)
The concerned Forest Beat Officer/
Forest Section Officer shall hand over proper receipt to the V.S.S. for
produce/vehicles handed over to him in offence cases.
i)
The amounts realized from offence
cases would be deposited in the V.S.S. account and utilized exclusively for
village development works in accordance with decision of the general body.
3. The V.S.S. shall be entitled to a 50% share of the beedi leaf net revenue arising out of the beedi leaf produced in the V.S.S. area. This 50% share of the net revenue
shall be deposited in the V.S.S. account and utilized for development works as
prescribed in the micro-plan.
XIII. Micro-planning and Annual Planning
a)
The Managing Committee and members of the V.S.S. through
a participatory and equitable process including scheduled tribes, scheduled
castes, women, and other disadvantaged sections shall prepare a micro-plan and
annual plan in accordance with the guidelines issued by the forest department.
b)
The micro-plan shall include various operations of
village and forest development, maintenance of bio-diversity, soil and moisture
conservation, and livelihood support for the forest dependent members and
keeping sustainable forest management as the broad objective.
c)
The V.S.S. shall decide the choice of the species for
planting subject to the Forest Laws in vogue.
d)
The Micro-plan shall contain a detailed harvesting and
regeneration plan, which shall be consistent with the overall prescriptions of
working plan covering the area.
e)
Adequate care and measures shall be prescribed in the
micro-plan to manage grazing in the forests of the V.S.S.
f)
The managing committee shall at
the beginning of the financial year prepare an annual plan of operation. During
annual plan preparation the micro-plan will be reviewed and updated as needed.
g)
All estimates of works to be undertaken will be prepared
by the responsible officer of the Forest Department and will be reviewed by the
Managing Committee. The Managing Committee will seek advice from the Advisory
Council as needed.
h)
All Micro-plans and proposed changes to micro-plans
shall be put before the General Body for approval. Where the General Body does
not agree with any of the provisions of the Micro-plan, the Managing Committee
shall carry out such changes as are necessary. Where the advisory council does not agree with the
provisions made in the Micro-Plan they shall discuss the same during a General
Body Meeting and their advice will be incorporated if a majority of Members
agree. Finally the micro-plan will be placed before the Divisional Forest
Officer for approval.
If the Divisional Forest Officer finds that any of the provisions of the
Micro-plan are in contravention of the National and/or State Forest Legislation,
the Managing Committee shall carry out such changes as are necessary to conform
to said legislation, obtain approval of the General Body, and resubmit the
micro-plan to Divisional Forest Officer for approval.
i)
At the close of the financial year
a completion report showing the activities planned in the micro-plan, activities
taken up during the year, funds received, amounts spent on each item of works
shall be placed before the General Body and seek its approval for the deviations
if any.
XIV. Transparency in Working:
1.
Only V.S.S. members would execute works included in the
micro-plan. The Forest Department
should bring no contractor to carry out these works. However, if some skilled
workers are required to be brought from outside their payment should be done by
the V.S.S. Chair Person after duly discussing the details with the Managing
Committee and recording it in the Minutes Book. No Forest Officer should make
payment directly for works carried out within the V.S.S.
2.
Before the withdrawal of funds from the joint account, a
resolution should be passed by the Managing Committee indicating the works done
and amounts to be paid and recorded in the minutes book.
In the absence of such a resolution neither the V.S.S. chairperson nor the
Vice Chairperson shall draw any money from the joint account. Any deposit into
the Joint Account will be reported to the Managing Committee indicating the
amount received and a resolution of receipt will be passed and recorded in the
Minutes Book. Whenever a resolution is passed for withdrawal of money indicating
the works done for which payments are to be made, a copy of such a resolution
should be sent to the Forest Section Officer by the Forest Beat
Officer/Assistant Bear Officer. This will keep the Forest Section Officer aware
of the works done and funds withdrawn.
3.
Soon after withdrawal of funds from V.S.S. account it
should be reported to the Managing Committee, either on the same day or next
day, along with the passbook so as to ensure that the managing committee is
aware of the funds withdrawn.
4.
For all the works done by the V.S.S. a Muster Roll Register
should be maintained on a permanent basis where the names of persons engaged in
various works are mentioned, total payable to each should be noted and amount
paid is recorded.
The Forest Section Officer or Forest Beat Officer/Assistant Bear Officer
should sign this register.
5.
The resolution passed for withdrawal of funds, the
actual amount with drawn giving the details of cheque number and amount disbursed must tally. It will be the responsibility of the Forest Section Officer
to check this tally and record it in his diary.
6.
The year-wise funds received, the list of works carried
out annually, expenditures incurred, etc., shall be prominently displayed in the
village at an appropriate public place for all the villagers to know the
activities in the Vana
Samrakhana Samithi.
H.S.BRAHMA
PRL. SECRETARY TO GOVERNMENT
ANNEXURE - II
MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING
We, the Managing Committee Members of the ________________
Vana Samrakshana Samithi duly elected by the Vana Samrakshana Samithi as per the provisions of G.O.Ms.No.224, dated 11.11.1993,
do hereby undertake to
perform the duties and
functions as detailed
in the G.O.Ms.No. 13, EFES&T(For III)
Dept. dated 12.2.2002 of
the Forest Department,
Government of Andhra Pradesh for proper protection of the
Forest(s)/Plantation(s) assigned to this Committee as per the schedule given
hereunder
SCHEDULE:
1. Name of
Vana
Samrakshana Samithi
2. District
3. Division
4. Range
5. Section
6. Beat
7. Block, Compartment
No.
8. Area (ha)
9. Boundary
North -
East -
South -
West -
In return
for
the satisfactory
performance of the above
duties and
functions,
the Vana Samrakshana Samithi will be entitled to share in the usufructs as envisaged
in the aforesaid G.O.Ms.No.13, EFES&T(For III) Dept. dated 12.2.2002. and that these
usufructory benefits as detailed in the aforesaid
G.O.Ms.No.13, EFES&T(For III) Dept. dated 12.2.2002
shall be allowed only
upon satisfactory
observance of the duties and functions by
this Committee and the individual beneficiaries.
Signature of the
Members of the Committee
Signature of Witnesses
Name & Address - Signature
Name & Address - Signature
1.
1.
2.
2.
3.
3.
We agree to perform the duties mentioned in G.O.Ms.No.13, EFES&T(For III) Dept.
dated 12.2.2002.
Signature of Local
Forest Officer
S.No. Name & Designation
Signature
1.
2.
3.
We
agree to assist the State Forest Department and V.S.S. in carrying
out the Community Forest Management Plan and
implementation
of G.O.Ms.No.13, EFES&T(For
III) Dept. dated 12.2.2002.
Signature of witnesses
S.No. Name
& Address
Signature
1.
2.
H.S.BRAHMA
PRINCIPAL SECRETARY TO GOVERNMENT