Kolkata, Aug 18: West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday announced a monthly salary increase of ₹5,000 for rangers, beat officers and forest guards, along with a ₹2,000 hike for forest assistants, with the revised pay set to take effect from October.
The announcement came at the central “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam” programme at Moharkunj in central Kolkata, where Adhikari spoke about protecting greenery before announcing the changes for Forest Department personnel.
Under the new revision, the salaries of 500 rangers will increase by ₹5,000. Beat officers and forest guards will also receive a monthly increase of ₹5,000 each. Forest assistants, who currently receive ₹12,000, will get a ₹2,000 increase.
Adhikari said the decision recognised the risks involved in the work carried out by forest personnel across the state and described the salary revision as a festive-season announcement ahead of Durga Puja.
The Chief Minister also announced an expanded tree-planting target for West Bengal, saying the state plans to plant 10 crore trees this year. He said the government would maintain and care for the trees for two years after planting.
As part of the environmental measures outlined at the programme, Adhikari said a tiger would be released in Buxa forest in north Bengal on October 2. He also announced plans for a new aquarium in Kolkata’s Alipore and said one lakh trees would be planted in Bhowanipore.
Referring to Uttar Pradesh’s reported target of planting 26 crore trees, Adhikari said he had told the Prime Minister’s Office that West Bengal would also undertake a large-scale plantation drive, with the state targeting 10 crore trees this year. He said the planting process was already progressing rapidly.
The programme centred on “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam”, an initiative launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to promote environmental protection by encouraging people to plant and care for at least one sapling in the name of their mother.
Adhikari used the occasion to link the plantation initiative with the state’s broader environmental efforts, while also announcing measures concerning the personnel responsible for forest-related duties.
The salary revision will cover rangers, beat officers, forest guards and forest assistants from October, coinciding with the festive season. The announcement comes alongside the state’s stated target of planting 10 crore trees during the year.
