The Himachal Pradesh Forest Department on Thursday signed a five-year MoU with the Bharti Institute of Public Policy, Indian School of Business (ISB-BIPP), in the presence of Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu to unlock the state’s untapped forest and pastoral economy through science- and technology-enabled governance.
The MoU was signed by Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Dr Sanjay Sood on behalf of the Forest Department and Executive Director, BIPP, ISB, Prof Ashwini Chhatre on behalf of the organisation.
Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said the partnership between the Forest Department and ISB-BIPP was an important step towards strengthening Himachal Pradesh’s rural economy and would benefit the state for years to come.
“We are well-positioned to be among the first in the country to bring science, local communities and the government together to transform forest governance. As we build on this momentum, I look forward to expanding this initiative to maximise the potential of abundant local species, such as medicinal plants like hard and bel, and further assessing the nutritional and commercial value of thangi (hazelnut),” the Chief Minister said.
Ahead of the MoU signing, the ISB-BIPP team presented findings from a joint forest inventory. More than 500 forest guards collected over 2,00,000 tree-level records and species-tagged images, which were combined with satellite imagery and AI/ML and later validated on the ground.
Maps have been generated for seven species — khair, bamboo, chia pine, amla, wild mango, sal and rhododendron — and published jointly as ‘Counting Green Wealth’.
The inventory estimates an untapped value of Rs 22,600 crore across five bio-resources: amla (Rs 8,700 crore), pine needles (Rs 5,500 crore), wild mangoes (Rs 4,800 crore), sal seeds (Rs 2,400 crore) and rhododendron flowers (Rs 1,200 crore). Extraction will be restricted to a sustainable, species-wise “yield sweet spot”.
The Pir Panjal Jungle Producer Company in Pangi, a women-owned enterprise working with thangi (hazelnut), was presented as a successful example. The data is already being used in the Palampur Forest Division’s working plan, described as the first such instance. The MoU will extend this approach to other divisions and eventually cover the entire state.
Prof Ashwini Chhatre said the partnership demonstrated what could be achieved when scientific research is combined with field-level knowledge. He said more than 500 forest guards had spent months collecting the data, giving the estimates credibility for economic decision-making.
“The data doesn’t stop at a report. It’s already shaping Palampur’s working plan, and this MoU extends that intelligence layer and the grazing database, state-wide,” said Dr Aarushi Jain, Director, Bharti Institute of Public Policy, ISB, who was also present at the signing ceremony.
The MoU covers four key areas: forest economy and community enterprises, including the creation of women-led producer companies and market linkages; a Forest Intelligence Platform, to be piloted in Palampur before a statewide rollout; a grazing portal and pastoral database under the Himachal Pradesh Grazing Policy, 2026, linked to Aadhaar, Him Pariwar, Bharat Pashudhan and the PEHEL scheme; and training and capacity building for Forest Department staff and producer companies.
Principal Secretary, Forests, M. Sudha Devi; Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Sanjay Sood; Executive Director, BIPP, ISB, Prof Ashwini Chhatre; Director (N), HP State Forest Development Corporation, Dharamshala, Patil Nitin Kundalik; and State Coordinator, BIPP, ISB, Neha Chakravarty, were also present on the occasion.
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