Manipur Deputy Chief Minister Losii Dikho has assured government support for the COSFOM project, which aims to restore 21,800 hectares of degraded forest and improve community livelihoods.
Imphal, Oct. 13: Deputy Chief Minister and Forest, Environment and Climate Change Minister Losii Dikho on Tuesday met officials of Germany’s KfW Development Bank and the Community-based Sustainable Forest Management for Water Resources Conservation in Manipur (COSFOM) project to discuss its progress, objectives and continued implementation.
The delegation called on Dikho at his office in the Civil Secretariat, Mantripukhri, and briefed him on the project’s activities and targets. The initiative is supported by KfW under the Indo-German Programme on Climate Change Adaptation and is a development project of the Government of India.
The Manipur Forest Department implements the project, while the Community Forestry and Water Conservation Society-Manipur (CF&WCS-M) manages it.
Nina Jantos, Portfolio Manager for Natural Resources and Climate in East and Southeast Asia at KfW Development Bank, outlined the project’s progress and ecological objectives. She said the initiative had continued to make progress despite challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing conflict in Manipur.
The project aims to restore 21,800 hectares of degraded forest, strengthen upper watersheds and improve community livelihoods. It seeks to address environmental degradation while supporting people dependent on forests for their livelihoods.
Jantos also sought the Deputy Chief Minister’s support to facilitate the project’s smooth implementation and continuation.
Dikho acknowledged the project’s objectives and its role in forest conservation and community development. He appreciated KfW’s efforts to support income-generating activities, community infrastructure and self-help groups.
The Deputy Chief Minister assured the delegation of the state government’s support and necessary assistance for effective implementation of the project.
The meeting was attended by Dr Bjoern Wode, Chief Technical Advisor, GFA Consulting Group GmbH, Manipur; Saravanakumar Veerasivam, Sector Specialist for Natural Resource Management at the KfW Office in New Delhi; L. Joykumar Singh, IFS, Chief Conservator of Forests and Project Director, COSFOM-KfW, Manipur Forest Department; Sanajaoba Khuraijam, Conservator of Forests and Chief Operating Officer, COSFOM-KfW; K. Hrishikesh Singh, Assistant Chief Technical Advisor, GFA Consulting Group GmbH, Manipur; and Ajay Srivastava, Capacity Building and Training Officer, COSFOM-KfW.
