Union Environment Minister hands over India’s first PRAMAAN certificates under the Indian Forest and Wood Certification Scheme to Andhra Pradesh Forest Development Corporation and a Bamboo Farmer from Odisha

The Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change handed over India’s first PRAMAAN certificates under the Indian Forest and Wood Certification Scheme (IFWCS) in New Delhi. Certificates were awarded to the Andhra Pradesh Forest Development Corporation for 33,000 hectares of plantations and to a farmer associated with the Odisha Bamboo Development Agency. The operating agency for the scheme is the Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal. PRAMAAN (Programme for Recognition and Accreditation of sustainable Management practices for Agroforestry And Natural forestry resources) acts as a framework for certifying forests, wood, and non-timber forest products. It aims to help Indian producers and exporters meet global deforestation-free timber sourcing regulations, while supporting rural livelihoods and sustainable forest management.