Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy (IGNFA) was constituted in the year 1987 by renaming the erstwhile Indian Forest College, which was originally established in 1938 for training senior forest officers. It is situated in the New Forest campus of Forest Research Institute (FRI), Dehradun. IGNFA is currently functioning as a Staff College for the officers of the Indian Forest Service (IFS).
The primary mandate of the Academy is to impart knowledge and skills to the professional foresters and help them to develop competence for managing the country's forest and wildlife resources on a sustainable basis. In the Academy training is provided at different levels of seniority in the Indian Forest Service besides training the new entrants to the service.
The Mandate
One of only three All India Services (along with the Indian Police Service and India Administrative Service) the Indian Forest Service looks after the ecological security aspects of our country. It is thus the fundamental task of the Academy to develop the necessary knowledge, skill and attitude to equip the young and old IFS cadres to effectively manage 23% of India’s geographical area. The Director, IGNFA, with his team of Additional Director, two Professors, eleven Associate Professors and other staff are responsible for the discharge of this function.The Academy is conducting following trainings for the Indian Forest Service (IFS) cadre to strengthen their professional efficiency:
- Professional Forestry training for IFS Probationers
- Skill Up gradation Programs for State Forest Service (SFS) officers inducted into IFS
- In-service training courses for IFS officers who complete 9 years, 16 years and 20 years in the IFS.
Library in Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy (IGNFA)
The library is housed in the new building of the academy and has a large collection of books, journals and magazines on varied subjects. The books range from forestry, wildlife, economics, engineering, remote sensing and GIS, computer applications etc. are about 24,500 books in library out of which about a thousand books have been added recently.Presently, academy is subscribing for approximately 150 national and international journals on forestry and related issues. The library is under the process of automation in order to improve the management and circulation of the books.
Hostel in Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy (IGNFA)
The Hostels, Guest house, Auditorium and playgrounds of the Academy are also located in the campus, whereas the housing colony for the faculty and staff is located on Chakrata road opposite the New Forest campus.
Location of IGNFA
Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy (IGNFA) is situated in the New Forest campus of Forest Research Institute (FRI) on Chakrata Road (NH-72),five kilometers from Dehradun town. IGNFA is currently functioning as a Staff College for the officers of the Indian Forest Service (IFS).
