A contingent of 30 men and women is taking skill training to each of the eight range headquarters of the tiger reserve. The skill training is for making bamboo craft right from inkstand to decorative bulb shed etc. The idea behind this skill training is to minimize the dependency of the villagers on the forest of the tiger reserve.
Two NGOs are imparting this skill training. The range head quarters are Bareysarn, Kutku, Betla, Garu East and West, Chhipadohar East & West and Mahuadarn. Chief conservator of forest cum field director PTR M P Singh said bamboos are quite a common thing and if villagers learn this skill they can augment their income easily.
Singh said PTR has bamboos and their culms are to be cleaned every four year for fresh regeneration of bamboo and hence villagers may find this skill training as one of their most familiar thing. Sources said the NGOs are using the bamboos of the PTR for this training.
The two NGOs Agricultural Consultancy & Rural Development Institute and Adivasi Harijan Chhotanagpur Vikas Samiti are imparting skill training which is of 15 day duration in which every 30 beneficiary undergoing the training gets free lunch too said A K Mishra deputy director North division of PTR. On successful completion of this 15 day training in bamboo craft the trained hand will get Rs 500 too for their own personal kit for making bamboo craft. Each NGO is to get 3.13 lakh for training contingent of 30 at each of the 8 range head quarter of the PTR.
State Government and government of India both are talking about skill training but here in PTR it is being given to people living in villages in PTR who spend their days and nights in fear of the lurking Maoists said sources.
Kutku is one forest range of PTR which is a highly sensitive left wing extremism zone and here 30 men and women are learning the art of making useful things of bamboos. Similarly Garu East and West ranges have Maoists infestations and here too villagers are taking bamboo craft making lessons. On being asked as to how these bamboo manufactured articles be marketed Mishra said ‘ We will sell it to tourists and I tell you our supply will be less than the demand which is all set to grow’. Sources said the bamboo craft is the sole trade of Toori but non Toori communities too are taking training.
Bamboo processing kits for 30 trainees cost 2.10 lakh said sources.