Joint Forest Management Committees (FPC) of Bankura FOREST
Joint Forest Management originated in West Bengal accidentally at the Arabari Forest Range in West Midnapore, near Midnapore town in 1971. The major hardwood of Arabari is sal, a commercially profitable forest crop. Sri Ajit Kumar Banerjee, a silviculturalist, working for the Forest Department as the Divisional Forest Officer, was conducting trials which were constantly being disturbed by grazing and illegal harvesting by the local populace. At the time there were no initiatives for sharing of forest resources between the government and the locals, with the government considering many of the locals no more than “thieves”. The forest official, against the suggestions of his co-workers, sought out representatives of eleven local villages and negotiated the terms of a contract with an ad hoc Forest Protection Committee. The initial program involved 612 families managing 12.7 square kilometers of forests classified as “degraded”. 25% of profits from the forests were shared with the villagers. The experiment was successful and was expanded to other parts of the state in 1987. JFM is still in force at Arabari.
F.P.C. AT A GLANCE OF BANKURA FOREST
FPC details of Bankura (North) Division | |||||||||||
SL No. | Range | Beat | No. of FPC | Total No. of Beneficiaries | Male | Female | SC | ST | OBC | General | Area under |
01 | Beliatore | 4 | 72 | 6173 | 5996 | 177 | 1671 | 395 | 11 | 4096 | 7655.86 |
02 | Chhatna | 3 | 58 | 5333 | 4911 | 422 | 1794 | 1685 | – | 1854 | 2261.582 |
03 | Sonamukhi | 4 | 50 | 7019 | 6813 | 206 | 2450 | 1022 | 5 | 3542 | 7047.53 |
04 | Mejia | 2 | 15 | 1605 | 1563 | 42 | 794 | 314 | – | 497 | 518.000 |
05 | Barjora | 3 | 44 | 4752 | 4630 | 122 | 2604 | 168 | – | 1980 | 3533.68 |
06 | Patrasayer | 3 | 54 | 3597 | 3353 | 244 | 1696 | 595 | – | 1306 | 4433.94 |
07 | Bankura North | 3 | 65 | 6562 | 6341 | 221 | 2323 | 477 | 431 | 3331 | 3770.7 |
08 | Radhanagar | 4 | 75 | 6485 | 6301 | 184 | 2992 | 678 | 80 | 2735 | 6689.4 |
09 | G.Ghati | 4 | 73 | 7657 | 7381 | 276 | 2345 | 771 | – | 4541 | 5256.92 |
10 | Saltora | 3 | 35 | 3665 | 3465 | 200 | 1256 | 1812 | 157 | 440 | 2355.33 |
Grand Total :- | 33 | 541 | 52848 | 50754 | 2094 | 19925 | 7917 | 684 | 24322 | 43522.942 | |
FPC details of Bankura (South) Division
| Sl.No. | Range | Beat | No. of FPC | Total No. of Beneficiaries | Male | Female | SC | ST | Other | Area under |
1 | Bankura | 3 | 47 | 6951 | 6549 | 402 | 2272 | 335 | 4344 | 3230.45 |
2 | Indpur | 4 | 63 | 7369 | 6899 | 470 | 2895 | 1314 | 3160 | 4310.72 |
3 | Fulkusma | 3 | 38 | 2797 | 2626 | 171 | 619 | 1496 | 682 | 3993.09 |
4 | Jhilimili | 2 | 24 | 2568 | 2396 | 172 | 406 | 1667 | 495 | 3350.23 |
5 | Ranibundh | 4 | 55 | 4942 | 4230 | 712 | 213 | 3320 | 1409 | 5418.94 |
6 | Pirrorgari | 3 | 53 | 5930 | 5728 | 202 | 1227 | 1514 | 3189 | 4004.42 |
7 | Khatra | 4 | 104 | 7942 | 7533 | 409 | 1881 | 2218 | 3843 | 4277.64 |
8 | Hirbandh | 3 | 36 | 2574 | 2369 | 205 | 498 | 586 | 1490 | 1922.18 |
9 | Kamalpur | 3 | 28 | 2332 | 2051 | 281 | 494 | 928 | 910 | 1670.82 |
10 | Simlapal | 3 | 53 | 4940 | 4650 | 290 | 1453 | 1521 | 1966 | 4238.46 |
11 | Sarenga | 3 | 50 | 4818 | 4352 | 466 | 964 | 1261 | 2593 | 4648.03 |
12 | Motgoda | 3 | 63 | 4771 | 4154 | 617 | 764 | 2230 | 1777 | 3032.1 |
Total | 38 | 614 | 57934 | 53537 | 4397 | 13686 | 18390 | 25858 | 44097.08 |
FPC details of Panchet Division
FPC details of Panchet Division | |||||||||||
Sl.No. | Range | Beat | No. of FPC | Area under | Male | Female | SC | ST | Other | ||
| 1 | Joypur | 4 | 52 | 5875.53 | 5358 | 283 | 2855 | 229 | 2557 | ||
| 2 | Bishnupur | 5 | 29 | 5407.59 | 3760 | 476 | 2167 | 612 | 1457 | ||
| 3 | Taldangra | 3 | 47 | 5521.76 | 3968 | 242 | 1650 | 968 | 1592 | ||
| 4 | Bankadaha | 5 | 62 | 7304.52 | 8939 | 289 | 2385 | 2002 | 4841 | ||
| 5 | Onda | 4 | 41 | 4356.78 | 5303 | 272 | 1976 | 863 | 2736 | ||
Total | 21 | 231 | 28466.18 | 27328 | 1562 | 11033 | 4674 | 13183 | 0 | ||