Bhupender Yadav Hands Over India's First PRAMAAN Forest Certificates under IFWCS

29 September 2026National

Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav handed over India's first PRAMAAN certificates under the Indian Forest and Wood Certification Scheme (IFWCS) in New Delhi on 29 September 2026. PRAMAAN stands for Programme for Recognition and Accreditation of Sustainable Management practices for Agroforestry And Natural forestry resources. The first certificates went to the Andhra Pradesh Forest Development Corporation for plantations across 33,000 hectares and to bamboo farmer Govind Mohapatra of the Odisha Bamboo Development Agency. Launched in December 2023 and operated by IIFM Bhopal, IFWCS certifies Forest Management, Tree Outside Forest Management and Chain of Custody through independent third-party audits.

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Certifying bodies are accredited by NABCB, which works under the Quality Council of India | Forest Management certification is assessed against the Indian Forest Management Standard under the National Working Plan Code 2023 | Bamboo grown on non-forest land ceased to be a tree under the Indian Forest (Amendment) Act, 2017, so it needs no felling or transit permit

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