The villagers also keep an eye on another 500 hectares of forest near the hills adjacent to the village. Forest officials say the work by Majhi and local tribals in Kalahandi is an important step in guarding the forest resources. “Creating a forest and guarding can never be done by the forest department if individuals like Majhi are not involved. The last Forest Survey of India published in 2015, put the forest cover at 30%. This year a dozen villagers entered the reserve forest area and tried to cut the trees.

Source: Hindustan Times August 14, 2017 01:41 UTC