Eshwar Khandre hints at simplifying sandalwood policy 

Safety kits were distributed to frontline staff of the Forest Department in Mysuru on Wednesday. | Photo Credit: M.A. SRIRAM

Minister for Forest, Ecology and Environment, Eshwar B Khandre said here on Wednesday that the State government would issue a notification simplifying the sandalwood policy.

He was speaking at a programme to distribute safety kits to the frontline staff of the Forest Department, in Mysuru.

The safety kits were provided by the Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Ltd. (KSDL) as a CSR initiative. The KSDL safety kit will be provided to nearly 10,000 frontline forest personnel across the State and the launch was held in Mysuru.

Mr. Khandre said that the farmers in the State were cultivating sandalwood and the KSDL had highlighted the need for sandalwood oil. But there were stringent norms guiding the growth, felling and transportation of sandalwood. Hence, a notification to simplify the sandalwood policy would be issued soon to facilitate its felling and transportation. Steps would also be taken by the Forest Department to grow sandalwood trees in plantation forests, the Minister said.

Mr. Khandre praised the frontline staff of the department in forest and wildlife conservation, besides augmenting green cover.

‘’It would not be wrong to say that it is due to their efforts that there was a  21% forest cover in the State,” he added. The work being done by frontline staff in preventing forest encroachment, dousing forest fires, and curbing wildlife poaching was commendable, the Minister said.

Referring to the initiatives taken by him for the welfare of the Forest Department staff, Mr. Khandre said that food allowance was being provided along with salary to the personnel who guarded forests and forest resources  apart from granting a monthly risk allowance of ₹2,000.

He said there was a demand for canteen facility to forest staff similar to the facility extended to military and police personnel.

“I have already submitted a request to the Chief Minister in this regard, and efforts will be made to extend the existing police canteen facility to forest personnel as well,” Mr. Khandre added.

The Minister said 15,000 acres of land had been notified as forest area in the recent past and 128 acres of forest encroachment had been cleared in Bengaluru. Encroachment of over 6,000 acres of forest land had also been cleared across the State and augured well for increasing green cover, said the Minister.

He stated that in the 2023-24 and 2024-25 fiscal years, plantation forests had been developed on 120,975 hectares, along with the establishment of 25 new tree parks and 35 sacred groves (‘devara kaadu’).

Minister for Large and Medium Industries, M.B. Patil, KSDL chairman C.S. Nadagouda, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) and Head of Forest Force Subhash Malkhede, PCCF Kumar Pushkar, wildlife board member Dhruva Patil, and others, were present.

Published - June 04, 2025 08:02 pm IST