Project Proposal for the Establishment of Disaster Management Cell at SIRD Meghalaya Nongsder

                A National Conference on Funding Disaster Prevention and Mitigation was organized jointly by the NIRD and High weird Committee (constituted by the Government of India during 19-20 December at NIRD Hyderabad in which one of the objectives of the Conference was to involve SIRDs in Disaster Management by way of establishing Disinter Management Unit with the funding support from the Government of India for imparting training on Disinter Management to the officials and field level functionaries at the different levels.. For this the SIRD Meghalaya has prepared a project fir the establishment of a Disrupt Management Unit within the premises of the SIRD to meet the Training aspects related to Disinter Management swell as help prepare Distress Preparedness Management Plan

                In pursuance with the proceeding of the XV^th Colloquium held at NIRD Hyderabad on the 6th February 2001, the SIRD has been identified for the setting up of the Disaster Management Cell/Unit with the fund support of the Government of India for imparting training to officials and non-officials and field functionaries at different level and also to conduct research and case studies relevant to disaster management. For this purpose a proposal for setting up the Disaster management Cell at the SIRD Meghalaya has been prepared with the following objectives in view:

1. To train the functionaries both official and non-official at various level on how to initiate action necessary to incorporate proper safety measures, to streamline disaster preparedness and o improve response capacities to disaster guidelines
2. To prepare a disaster management plan at different level viz. State, District, Block and Village
3. To take up research and case studies of disasters frequently witnessed in the state
4. Documentation of each hazardous event that occurs in the state.

 The total amount of funds proposed for the setting up of the Unit till the period 2007 is Rupees 30,62,460/-

Proposal for Project on Training of Rural Youth for Promotion of Self Employment through Agriculture and allied Activities

                The Project was designed to contain training programmes for youth processing land and those who are willing to take up agriculture as a self-employment. The Youth selected will be mainly those belonging to the East Khasi Hills and higher altitude areas of the Ri Bhoi District This project would be taken up b the SIRD in collaboration with the Rural Resource Training Centre (RRTC) Umran Meghalaya. Funds for the purpose was sought from the Department of Tribal affairs Government of India. The total estimated amount of expenditure solicited for the project was Rs 10,24,100.The major areas of focus are

• Maximization of profits by adoption of appropriate production technology
• Production and Project Management
• Development of entrepreneurial management and behavioral skills
• Value addition and Marketing Management
• Environmental Issues and sustainable Resource Management
• Organization and Management of Self Help Groups and Cooperation
• Financial management

Proposal for Training Programme for Traditional Heads of Local Institutions in Meghalaya

                As a result of operationalising the 73rd Amendment to the Constitutions of India, the emerging trend is the need to involve people in planning decision-making and management of rural development at the grassroots level. The exemption of the Panchayati Raj in Meghalaya was made on the basis of the presence of an already strong and viable traditional Institution, which had the capacity to carry out development activities at the grassroots level.

                As of now it has been observed that in the State of Meghalaya the involvement of traditional institutions the development processes very insignificant. The feedback’s collected through training conducted by SIRD reveal that the members of traditional institution were never consulted and were ignored by the Development This according to them defeats the very purpose for which Meghalaya was exempted from the Panchayati Raj. As has been the case with the Govt. Programmes including rural development, various schemes and projects are being routed through the Gram Panchayat or Village Council as the case may be. In Meghalaya due to the exemption of the 73rd Amendment, the Village Dorbars, which are the Traditional Institutions, need to be given Statutory Powers such that the development process can be routed through them. This is imperative because as has been observed, Govt. Programs in Meghalaya have failed to muster people’s participation and have not reached the genuine category of people in need of such programmes mainly due to the fact that Traditional Institutions have not been taken into confidence. Traditional Institutions can enlist greater participation of people both in planning and implementation process, as they are nearer and dearer to the people.

                Very often it has been seen that schemes and programmes are prepared at the State level and handed down to district and block level for implementing by following the same schematic pattern. Thus people are neither involved nor have access for flexibility to make changes in response to local needs, thereby resulting in passive dependence of the people on government initiative and according to its perception as to what is good and necessary for the community.

                A notable feature as seen in Meghalaya is that there are strong vibrant Traditional Institutions around which the community lives and shares the basic conditions of a common life and all of one’s social relations. The people at the helm of the Traditional Institutions are commonly known as the Traditional Heads and in local parlance they are called either Syiem or Dolloi or Nokma or Lyngdoh or Sordar or Rangbah- Shnong depending on their jurisdiction of governance.

                It is essential that community-based programmes should be demand- driven, that is, should stem from the needs of the community itself. Therefore Traditional Heads who are the recognized community leaders be involved at every stage of planning and decision making so as to be able to utilize local knowledge and expertise and also that empowerment of people at the grassroots level be fully assured. Despite the fact that Traditional Institutions are yet to be given a statutory character like the Village Councils or Village development Boards, the SIRD has been giving training’s on trial basis to the elected members of Traditional Institutions are capable of executing the development process in the event of their being given the power to take part in the development process. This proposal therefore intends to prepare the elected members of Traditional Institutions through intensive training in PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES with special focus on the following major areas, viz., MANAGEMENT OF COMMUNITY RESOURCES, PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION and BUDGETING.

Project for the formation of Self Help Groups under SGSY programme (East Khasi Hills District)

                The areas of intervention for the promotion, development and capacity training of self help groups are in the Area of the East Khasi Hills District, Meghalaya comprising of the following Community and Rural development Block of Mylliem, Pynursla, Mawryngkneng, Mawkynrew, Mawphlang, Mawsynram and Shella Bholaganj. The Overall goal is to promote self reliance among the rural village communities through Institution Building with the involvement of the local people and providing them with Institutional support for income generating activities through Formation of self-help groups, Providing them Training and access to Credit, Technology, Marketing Support and other Institutional support. The Villages so selected fall under the Community and Rural development Blocks of the east Khasi Hills District, Meghalaya, comprising of the following blocks of Mylliem, Pynursla, Mawkynrew, Mawphlang, Mawryngkneng, and Shella-Bholaganj. They are remotely located and are deprived of some of the basic facilities of life such as transport communication water health care and education. The population is homogeneous with the majority of the population below the poverty line. Lack of access to credit for micro enterprises has been a major hurdle in bringing about the much-needed development and tapping the enormous potential available in these areas for increased productivity. This proposed project is being sponsored by the DRDA East Khasi Hills in which the SIRD will also pool in its training resources at various stages of development of the project. The DRDA has released an amount of Rs. 50000/- for the initial phase of the project.

Creation of a Mini Rural Technology Park at SIRD Campus

                A proposal for setting up a mini rural technology park has been prepared within the SIRD Campus keeping in mind the objectives of the Institute, which caters to the training requirements of rural development functionaries both official and non-official.

                With a sizeable amount of space available with the Institute the setting up of the mini-rural Technology Park is feasible. In pursuance of this vision the SIRD is working out a collaborative plan with the State Council for Science and Technology Cell (SCSTE) to set up various demonstration units of rural technologies. As a start up to this proposal the SCSTE has already undertaken the construction of a Water Harvesting Unit within the Campus, which is nearing completion. Other technologies to be introduced phase wise would include Vermiculture, Low Cost Mud Block Technology, Low Cost Sanitation Unit, Low Cost efficient Chulas and many others. It is hoped that the introduction of these demonstration units would go a long way in augmenting the training of the Institute to provide hands on training leading to self-employment.