CORPORATE CITIZEN CLAPS FOR VIKAS KUMAR UJJWAL, THE YOUNG DIVISIONAL FOREST OFFICER (DFO) OF LOHARDAGA, IN JHARKHAND WHO HAS TRANSFORMED THE MAOIST HOTBED AROUND NAMODAG, KNOWN FOR THE HIGHEST RAILWAY BRIDGE, INTO A SUSTAINABLE ECO-TOURISM HUB

Vikas Kumar Ujjwal

The registered count of tourists visiting the Namodag eco-tourism hub has crossed two and a half lakhs since its inception, generating justifiable revenue for the local community. Besides, illegal felling of trees has reduced by 85% with the help of a rejuvenated JFMCs (Joint Forest Management Committee). The overall crime rate has also reduced due to continuous tourist visits and police vigils. Namodag, the once degraded area is now green and visible in satellite imagery. The 2014-batch Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer, had to gain the confidence of the local villagers in a Naxal-prone region where illegal felling of trees was the primary source of income. He braved several death threats as he helped checked deforestation, provided sustainable livelihoods to the local villagers and devised a collective strategy to thwart forest fires. In 2017, he stepped up to re-nurture the depleting green cover of about 5,000 hectares by planting three lakh tree saplings of local varieties. He then directed his department to cultivate the crucial Salgi forest to secure water for Jharkhand, from the prime rivers of Damodar, Sankh and Auranga, that originated in the region. To retain rainwater, the forest division built nearly 20 check dams and created man-made ponds. Teaming up with the villagers, as most of the ideas were suggested by them despite their initial reluctance, they gradually, agreed on protecting forest patches adjoining their villages. In return, the department created livelihood opportunities, undertook soil moisture conservation in the Namodag waterfall catchment area, conducted beekeeping and bamboo craft training programmes. These activities addressed governance by forest management and brought in a noteworthy socio-economic impact and eco-tourism. At a nominal fee, tourists are assisted by members of the ‘van samiti’ in providing facilities such as parking, trekking, guide, et al. The combined effort of the district administration and local villagers has ensured direct livelihood. Besides, joint patrolling efforts by the forest department and the JFMC helps to ward off the illegal timber trade. Awarded as the best 2017-18 JFMC in the division, the Salgi JFMC and Ujjwal have indeed become the harbinger of change for the better.

CORPORATE CITIZEN SLAPS THE SLACK APPROACH TO DATA PROTECTION AMONG IT USERS IN INDIA AS SHOWN IN THE SECOND ANNUAL CYBER PROTECTION WEEK SURVEY, BY SINGAPORE’S ACRONIS-A GLOBAL LEADER IN CYBER PROTECTION

The findings uncovered a disconnect between the need for organisations to keep their data protected and the ineffective investments that they have made in trying to reach that goal. The shift to remote working has also made firms vulnerable to cyber attacks. And, amidst such threats, Indian companies are also struggling to find adequate cybersecurity talent. The Acronis report indicates that “There is a significant gap in awareness among users and IT pros in India of what IT and cyber security capabilities are available to them, which can cause them to lose valuable time, money, and security.” The report shows that 35% of IT users and 11% of IT professionals in India (63% and 16% for global) would not know if their data had been modified without their knowledge because their solution makes it difficult to determine the level of tampering. The global survey discovered that while 70% of companies in India run as many as 10 solutions simultaneously for their data protection and cyber security needs, the remaining 30% run more than 10 solutions. However, 57% of all those organisations have suffered unexpected downtime last year because of data loss. ‘’This year’s Cyber Protection Week survey clearly illustrates that more solutions do not deliver greater protection, as using separate tools to address individual types of exposure is complicated, inefficient, and costly,’’ said Serguei Beloussov, founder and CEO of Acronis. According to another survey by IT security company Sophos, 60% of organisations in India have struggled to recruit people with the required skills. TeamLease Digital’s data shows that the demand for cyber security skills has gone up by 18-20% (over one lakh cyber security professionals) over the last six months but current estimates depict a supply gap of up to 70% for a few of these skills. Once again, solutions have been directed at structured and simplified cyber security solutions that offer effective enterprise cyber security strategy – streamlining investments and goes beyond mere compliance.