PRAMAAN A Vital Instrument To Meet Emerging Global Requirements For Responsible Deforestation-Free Timber Sourcing And Livelihood Generation: Shri Bhupender Yadav.

New Delhi, Delhi, 29th of September, 2026 : Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Bhupender Yadav, today handed over the first PRAMAAN certificates under the Indian Forest and Wood Certification Scheme (IFWCS), in New Delhi. The event was organised by the Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM), Bhopal, as the scheme’s operating agency. Senior officers of the MoEFCC along with senior officers of various States Forest Departments, representatives of certification bodies and industry  attended the event.

PRAMAN certificates were presented to the Andhra Pradesh Forest Development Corporation (APFDC) for its plantations over an area of 33,000 hectares, and to Shri Govind Mohapatra, a farmer associated with Odisha Bamboo Development Agency (OBDA). The plantations underwent a rigorous field and management audit before certification. The certificates mark the culmination of the processes established since launch of IFWCS by the Ministry in December 2023, signifying its transition from a policy framework to field-level implementation across both forest plantations and tree-based farming.

Addressing the gathering, Shri Yadav described PRAMAAN as a vital instrument for Indian producers, exporters and forest-based enterprises to meet emerging global regulatory requirements, including due-diligence and responsible deforestation-free timber sourcing norms adopted by major international markets. As global trade increasingly links market access to verifiable sustainability credentials, he said, PRAMAAN positions India not merely to comply, but to lead in the sustainable forest management and tree outside forest management systems, under Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Vocal for Local and Act Global’. He expressed happiness that several State Forest Departments, Forest Development Corporations, farmers and industries have applied for Forest Management, Tree Outside forest Management and Chain of Custody certification and the same are in various stages of process.

The Minister highlighted that PRAMAAN’s accreditation architecture, benchmarked against international certification frameworks, ensures that certification issued under the scheme carries recognition from both domestic and global buyers and regulators. He noted that the PRAMAAN’s forest management certification is anchored in the principles of the National Working Plan Code (NWPC) 2023 ensuring that certification is built on a foundation of forest management audited by third-party rather than voluntary self-declaration alone. 

Emphasising that PRAMAAN is as much a livelihood mission as a trade instrument, the Minister said that by bringing rural and tribal communities, small holder farmers, and forest-dependent communities into a structured and verifiable certification system, the certification scheme opens new income pathways to compliant and premium markets without adding to the compliance burden on producers. He added that women Self Help Groups and marginal landholders engaged in NTFP collection and processing, farm and agroforestry and any tree-based agriculture system stand to benefit.

Placing the initiative with a wider national vision, Shri Yadav stated that PRAMAAN reflects India’s broader journey towards Viksit Bharat @2047. It signifies a developed India that combines economic growth with ecological stewardship and that is recognized globally not just as a producer of sustainable goods but a leader in sustainable governance. The Minister complimented IIFM and the ministry, and concluded by calling upon the certification bodies, state forest departments, tree growers, farmer producer organisations, farmer producer companies, Industries, institutions, to strengthen their participation in PRAMAAN so that India’s forests, and the communities who depend on them are positioned at the centre of the next generation of global sustainable trade.

About PRAMAAN

PRAMAAN (Programme for Recognition and Accreditation of sustainable Management practices for Agroforestry And Natural forestry resources) is a nationally accepted, credible, and transparent framework for certification of forests, wood and non-timber forest products with the mission to promote linkages to domestic and international markets for certified forests and agroforestry products. The IFWCS-PRAMAAN certificate enhances the social, and ecological values of India’s forests, agroforestry systems and the Indian wood-based industries. 

The Forest Management certification is assessed against the Indian Forest Management Standard, which are part of the National Working Plan Code 2023.  The core principle of certificate rests on independent audit by certification bodies accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies (NABCB) under the Quality Council of India, rather than on self-declaration alone. PRAMAAN’s accreditation architecture is benchmarked against international frameworks, ensuring recognition among domestic and global buyers and regulators.