Vice President Shri C. P. Radhakrishnan addressed Indian Forest Service (IFS) probationers of the 2025–2027 batch and officers of the Royal Bhutan Forest Service undergoing training at the Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy (IGNFA) in Dehradun on August 19, 2026. He emphasized that the contribution of the Indian Forest Service is integral to strengthening India's ecological security and achieving the nation's goal of net-zero emissions by 2070. The Vice President stated that development and conservation are not opposing forces and can always go hand in hand, urging officers to find the optimal balance between conservation and development, ecological security and livelihoods, and present requirements versus future generations' interests.
He called for team excellence rather than individual excellence, emphasizing that sustained collective effort shapes nations and institutions. The Vice President stressed the need to respect traditional knowledge accumulated by communities that have lived in harmony with forests and natural ecosystems for generations. He stated that integrity in public service is non-negotiable and that the Constitution, law, science, and larger public interest should guide difficult decisions.
The Vice President highlighted the growing role of technology in forestry, calling upon the new generation of officers to combine remote sensing, GIS, drones, AI, and data-driven systems with field experience, sound judgement, and sensitivity towards people. He noted that modern scientific forestry and India's civilisational wisdom must complement each other in shaping the country's sustainable future. The Vice President also highlighted the increasing participation of women in the forest services, noting that women constitute about 17% of the present batch, describing it as an encouraging transformation and a testament to Nari Shakti.
He advised officers to measure their careers by the forests they restore, wildlife they protect, communities whose confidence they earn, and the legacy they leave for future generations, rather than merely by positions held. The event was attended by Governor of Uttarakhand Lt. General Gurmit Singh (Retd.), Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Shri Pushkar Singh Dhami, Director of IGNFA Dr. Rajendra Prasad, and Course Director Smt. Ajeeta Longjam, among other dignitaries.