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Forest wealth is a natural gift in our life. Therefore, it is the first duty of man to protect it. It becomes necessary to reflect on this on National Forest Martyrs Day. This day is dedicated to those heroes who sacrificed themselves to protect Indian forests and all the voiceless wildlife living in it. This special day is celebrated every year on 11 September in India. In the year 2013, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change had specially chosen this date. It is also associated with the historic 'Khejarli Massacre' that took place in 1730. So that people can remember that incident. Khejarli Massacre is an incident in Indian history that no one can forget. The incident is related to the Bishnoi community whose members sacrificed their lives to protect trees in the Marwar Empire. Its 363 members sacrificed their lives to save Khejari trees from being cut on the orders of Maharaja Abhay Singh Rathore. His sacrifice for the trees is such that even today people's soul trembles after hearing about it.
If we look at the current state of forests, about one-third of the forest area has been trampled by humans for their needs. The total geographical area of forests and trees in India is now 7,13,789 square kilometers, in which 2.91 percent area has abundance of trees. Today's special day is dedicated to making people aware about the protection of forest wealth and wild animals. Because the way deforestation and smuggling of animals is happening, it seems that the coming generations may be deprived of these natural gifts. That is why this day is a poignant reminder of the importance of conservation of our natural resources. It also pays tribute to those forest guards, rangers and officers-employees who have dedicated their entire lives for the conservation and protection of Indian forests and are doing so.
If we look at the government data, about 7,204 million tonnes of carbon stock is obtained from forests, in which an increase of 79.4 million tonnes has been recorded in the last 3 years. The annual increase in carbon stock has been reported to be 39.7 million tonnes. This is when forests have shrunk in many states. The sad thing is that human misdeeds are continuing in the forest area, they should be stopped. In terms of area, Madhya Pradesh is the largest forest area. After this come Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Maharashtra. Then the top five states include Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur and Nagaland. These states are still rich in forest wealth. The UT states of the country are forestless. There is no trace of forests in states like Delhi, Chandigarh.
The techniques used to maintain forest cover in India's tiger reserves, corridors and lion conservation areas have been successful so far. There is a need to give a new edge to the old policies and plans made on forest and tree resources in the country by converting them into long-term management. The protection of forests needs to be digitalized and modernized. There is a need to spread more and more awareness about the important role of forests in human life and how to protect them. In the programs that will be organized today by the Union Forest Ministry for various educational institutions and social organizations, people should be told how to connect with the common people in their campaign and how to discharge their responsibilities, because success cannot be achieved without creating awareness.
The young generation should be made aware about the importance of forests, wildlife conservation and the sacrifices made by forest martyrs through regular educational programs, seminars and workshops in the schools, colleges and community centers of villages. A one-day awareness program alone will not suffice. At the government level, tree plantation campaigns should continue throughout the year. We all should visit the nearest forest, national park or wildlife sanctuary at least once a year with our children to connect with nature, admire its beauty closely and think about the importance of conservation of natural resources.