Why it is in the news
On 29 September 2026 in New Delhi, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav handed over India’s first PRAMAAN certificates under the Indian Forest and Wood Certification Scheme (IFWCS) — to the Andhra Pradesh Forest Development Corporation (APFDC) for 33,000 hectares of plantations, and to Govind Mohapatra, a farmer associated with the Odisha Bamboo Development Agency (OBDA). The event, organised by the Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM), Bhopal, marks the scheme’s move from framework to on-ground certification.
The exam angle
Issue: Whether a government-owned forest-certification scheme can give Indian forest and farm wood credible, affordable access to markets that now demand proof of deforestation-free origin.