Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Tuesday commended IFS officer Jagdish S. Bakan, who has been named by the UNESCO for receiving the Michel Batisse Award 2023 for Biosphere Reserve Management.
Mr. Bakan is the Ramanathapuram District Forest Officer and Director of Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve. In a social media post, Mr. Stalin said the officer had made Tamil Nadu Forest Department as well as the State government proud.
“I was proud to see him say that this was possible only because of the Marine Elite force formed by our government,” Mr. Stalin said. Mr. Bakan is set to receive the award in Paris, France on June 14.
Mr. Stalin commended the National Disaster Response Force’s Venkatesan from Tamil Nadu, who was responsible for saving many lives in the Odisha train accident.
In a social media post, he said: “Many lives were saved, as he informed the higher authorities at the right time and the nearby National Disaster Management Force rushed to the spot. I commend him for acting swiftly at such a traumatic time.”