About Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhayay Vigyan Gram Sankul Pariyojana
- Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhayay Vigyan Gram Sankul Pariyojana was launched on 22 Sep, 2017 by Department of Science & Technology (DST).
- This project will experiment and endeavour to formulate and implement appropriate Science & Technology Interventions for Sustainable Development through cluster approach in Uttarakhand.
- DST has conceived to adopt a few clusters of villages and transform them to become self-sustainable in a time bound manner through the tools of Science and Technology (S&T).
- Department of Science and Technology (DST) has committed Rs 6.3 crore support for a period of three years for this project.
- The key deliverable in this approach is to utilise local resources and locally available skill sets and convert them in a manner using science and technology, that substantial value addition takes place in their local produce and services which can sustain the rural population locally.
- Further, the local communities are not compelled to migrate from their native places in search of jobs and livelihoods.
- Once this concept is validated in the few selected clusters, it can be replicated across large number of village clusters in the country.
- DST has conceived to adopt a few clusters of villages in Uttarakhand. Four clusters at Gaindikhata, Bazeera, Bhigun (in Garhwal) and Kausani (in Kumaon).
- About a lakh of people would benefit directly or indirectly through this project in four identified clusters of 60 villages in Uttarakhand for pilot phase which are located at different altitudes (up to 3000 meters).
- As the living conditions and resources available at different altitude is relatively different, the adopted strategy would help in creating models that are appropriate for different altitudes and could then be replicated in other hill states as well.
Areas of Intervention under the Project
- The selected clusters would be processing and value addition of milk, honey, mushroom, herbal tea, forest produce, horticulture and local crops, medicinal & aromatic plants and traditional craft and handloom of Uttarakhand.
- Post-harvest processing of Kiwi, Strawberry, Cherry, Tulsi, Adrak, Badi Elaichi through solar drying technology, extraction of apricot oil using cold press technology.
- Stringent product and process control interventions for energy and water conservation would also be ensured through this project.
- Novel strategies for sustainable development in this ecologically fragile state are important.
- Practice of agriculture, agro-based cottage industries and animal husbandry in an eco-friendly manner will be emphasized during the implementation of the project.
- Sustainable employment and livelihood options within the clusters such as eco-tourism, naturopathy and yoga, are also planned to be promoted.
- These clusters would act as model production cum training and demonstration centres. There is a possibility of replicating this pilot phase initiative in other hill states of the country once it is established and stabilized.
- Various scientific institutions would participate collectively in this endeavour to accomplish the dream of Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay towards ‘Swavlamban’.
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