Activity Update January 2018: Pench Maharashtra

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.