Vanadhikar Andolan/ Forest Rights
'Friends of Himalaya' took active part in the formation of VanadhikarAndolan -a right based association - of people’s representatives (PRI) and activists from different fields.
A state level seminar was conducted on forest rights in Town Hall of Nagar Nigam. Friends of Himalaya coordinated with more than 100 organizations. A joint effort was made to implement the policies beneficial to local communities. Deliberations in the seminar on forest issues led to the policy suggestions which are helpful in forest conservation as well as in helping local communities. After the seminar a list of recommendations were forwarded to the Prime Minister/Chief Minister and all other concerned authorities.
This effort by Friends of Himalayas were supported by people across the party lines and ideologies. People from all walks of life attended the seminar. When Prime Minister visited Uttarakhand to participate in Yoga Day celebrations, delegation of VanadhikarAndolan made repeated request to meet Prime Minister. A part of this forest rights campaign, a rally was organized from Gandhi Park to FRI, Dehradun on 21, June 2018. Police arrested the volunteers and supporters of Friends of Himalayas for taking a march towards of venue.