Assam Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma today attended a passing out parade of Assam Forest Protection Force held at Lachit Borphukan Police Academy at Dergaon and said that with the induction of 940 new constables, the strength of Assam’s Forest Protection Force have increased by 120 per cent.

He said two milestones stand out- Nari Shakti- 10% of the new recruits are women and Van Shakti- More force to fight encroachers and poachers.

Sources said Assam ranks first among all states in the country in terms of encroachments on forest land. According to data released by the Ministry of Environment and Forests 13 per cent of the total forest cover in Assam is now under encroachment.

The Chief Minister said that the total forest areas in Assam is 26,832 sq km which is 34.21 per cent of the total geographic areas of the state. With seven national parks and 17 wild life sanctuaries, Assam is blessed with its unique wild lives along with biodiversities.

He said for safety and protection of these wildlife resources, adequate number of forest protection forces are required. Stating that since large areas of the forest land of Assam share inter-state boundaries, more forces are required for their protection.

He said the Forest Protection Forces should work as a deterrent against the inimical forces that are hell-bent to cause damage to the forest resources. “The new recruits would empower the Forest Protection Forces to not only protect and preserve the forest resources, they will also be helpful in preserving the rich biodiversity of the state” he added.

These new recruits after going through training in several places of the state, culminated their training with advanced induction training at the police academy.

The Chief Minister said that with the substantial number of women appointees, the new recruits are adequately empowered to fight encroachers and poachers.

The Chief Minister also said that another six hundred Forest Protection Forces will be recruited by next February. He also said that the new building of Lachit Borphukan Police Academy will be dedicated in the month of October.