Highlights:
THE FULL REPORT
Team: Abhijit Dutta – Assistant Director (Conservation)
Bandu Uikey –
Assistant
Conservation
Officer
Dilip Lanjewar, Balkrishna Bagmare – Field
assistants
Highlights
·
Participated in All India Tiger Estimation
2018
·
Three community foot patrols
·
One anti-plastic campaign and two awareness
rallies
·
Three nature trails for school students
·
Conservation awareness meetings on Republic
Day
·
Twelve school education programs
·
Placement follow-up of fourteen candidates
sent for hospitality training
·
Job placement of four youths
·
Organic farming training for farmers
·
Six free medical camps
Conservation
Bandu and Balkrishna helped the
Forest Department staff during the All India Tiger Estimation 2018 from January
21-24 in Ghorad and Ghatkukda Beats respectively. Separate transects were
covered for herbivore and carnivore estimation.
Community foot patrols were
carried out in Wagholi, Khapa & Dhawlapur in January 2018. Foot patrolling
ensures protection to the forests in the form of detection of any illegal
activities or detection of traces and signs of wild animals.
Apart from awareness rallies,
meetings, anti-plastic campaign and Republic Day celebration that were
conducted in January 2018, a huge campaign was run against Survival
International, a UK based NGO.
Survival International started a
media campaign and appealed to global tourists to boycott Indian Tiger
Reserves. In reply, guides, drivers and villagers staged protests and started a
signature campaign to flay Survival International’s appeal. Local people who
belong to tribal communities are reaping benefits from tourism due to tiger
reserves and they completely disagree with the statement that tiger reserves
are a tool to suppress tribes. Protests were carried out with guides and
drivers at Sillari and Khudsapar gates of Pench Tiger Reserve, Maharashtra.
Similar protests were carried out with village eco-development committee
members in Kirangisarra, Wagholi, Khapa and Pipariya from January 18-21, 2018.
Nature trails were conducted for
school students of Sawara, Khapa and Siladevi during which students were
informed about local flora and fauna and were educated about issues like
man-animal conflict through various nature games.
Environmental Education
During the month of January, twelve school education programs were
carried out in Pench with a total of 338 students in attendance.
IT Education Program
Satpuda Foundation
has donated desktops as well as laptops to the Zilla Parishad School in Sawara
village and has been conducting IT education program for the students free of cost
since the year 2013. Sita, a resident of Sawara village works on an honorarium
basis for Satpuda Foundation and teaches the students. Four such classes were
held in the month of January 2018.
Employment Cell
Dilip
had informed, mentored and helped 14 youths from East Pench villages to join
PACE hospitality training at Sillari throughout the year 2017. While keeping
track of these 14 youth, Dilip got to know that all the 14 youths have got
campus placements at PACE itself and are now earning between 5000-8500 rupees per
month.
Livelihood Meetings
One livelihoods meeting was held on January 25 at Chargaon by
Balkrishna at which participants were informed about various opportunities and Government
Livelihood training schemes offered through the Panchayat Samiti. They include technician,
electrician, diesel motor technician, etc. The candidates were encouraged to
apply for the programmes of their choice.
Four farmers from Usripar & Ghoti were trained in the basics of organic farming from January 16-21 at Go Vigyan Kendra, Deolapar.
We helped the Saila Dance Group to get four performances at
resorts in January 2018. This group, which performs traditional Gond tribal
dances, was set up by us and is mentored by us. The members earn additional
income by performing at resorts.
Bandu helped 3 youth from Ghatpendari village to get a job
at Krishnadevrai breakers, a
disassembly factory at Surat.
Dilip informed
two youths about vacancies in TRACT and helped them to prepare for the
interviews. They both cleared the interviews.
Balkrishna
took 9 candidates trained at Ashok Leyland Driver Training Institute in
Chhindwara through our initiative, to RTO Nagpur for RTO tests.
Mobile Health Service (MHS)
There were 6 medical camps held
in January 2018 in which 220 patients were treated.
