The project addresses the villages of Yuksom in West Sikkim (comprising seven hamlets) and Lachen valley in North Sikkim (comprising thirteen hamlets).

Assessment & Capacity Building for Non-Farm Enterprises

NFE Potential Assessment ~ A comprehensive research on the potential of small/micro non-farm enterprise in the project area was carried out by Pragya members. The study revealed three high-potential heritage-based enterprises in Sikkim- handicrafts & handloom, agroproducts & processing of non-timber forest products, and rural tourism.

Capacity Building ~ Pragya has established a strong rapport with the community and artisans. Interactions and awareness sessions with the community has developed in them an understanding of the need for alternate, non-farm employment avenues, the need for heritage preservation, and the potential as well as improvement needs of the traditional arts & crafts that have been taken up for direct intervention in the first phase of the project. Two womens’ self help groups have been formed for the crafts of- carpets, raris, mezes, and rogs. Group members have been provided training on group management and quality & market requirements. Faculty from the National Institute for Fashion Technology, a premier institute in the country, have been accessed for working on product development and quality upgradation. A week-long training programme for skill upgradation and product enhancement has been conducted in partnership with the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, for the craftspersons from Yoksum and Lachen. A group of women have also been provided training on the use of natural dyes by the Wool Research Association, Mumbai.

Business Development Services

Enterprise Design and Technology Studies ~ Pragya, along with select community members, is working on the design of the handicrafts enterprises to be established in the target area, including the siting of handicrafts centres, and routing of supply material and finished products. All products are being further studied to identify improvement requirements. Experts are working on modification of existing tools and establishment of standards and processes towards ensuring the required quality of products and enhancing productivity.

Up Ahead . . .

Representatives from large-scale buyers will be involved to orient the artisans to the market and customer needs & preferences.

Local communities will be mobilised to build linkages between the enterprises and community development. Pragya will also liaise with other development arms of the Government of India to enhance the project impacts and improve the infrastructure and services. This includes livelihoods related bodies like the Khadi Village Industries Commission and the National Bank for Agriculture & Rural Development for credit facilities.



COMMUNITY BASED ECOTOURISM IN ARUNACHAL PRADESH

The Pragya project on Community-Based Ecotourism in Arunachal Pradesh is aimed at harnessing the benefits of tourism for the indigenous people in the districts of West Kameng and Tawang, through community based rural tourism enterprises. It includes:

Planning & Capacity Building for Ecotourism	survey of tourism assets & resources, and community-based circuit design & tourism planning community institutions for tourism management and heritage conservation training in tourism and allied sectors
Business Development Services	establishment of tourism facilities and institutional framework development of select tourism assets and their maintenance development of guidelines & standards, codes of sustainable tourism and promotional material

Planning and Capacity Building for Ecotourism

Circuit Design & Tourism Planning ~ An in-depth field survey was carried out by Pragya members in the districts of West Kameng and Tawang and the various tourism assets and their compatible activities and allied industries were identified. A comprehensive plan for the development of rural tourism in these two districts was prepared in collaboration with potential stakeholders, including tour operators, community members, culture associations, village heads (gaonburas), and the local administration. Detailed plans for marketing & promotion, and development of tourism infrastructure was also prepared in collaboration with local tour operators.

Community Awareness & Orientation ~ Pragya has worked intensively in the area, building awareness among the local population, working with them in assessing the potential of the area and the communities for rural tourism enterprises, and in developing the plans for establishing the community based ecotourism sector in these two districts taking into account the market requirements and service and hygiene standards expected.

Integrating Conservation ~ Community awareness has been built - of the rich cultural & natural heritage of the region and the necessity of preserving them before tourism could alter them beyond repair. Following meetings with the village community, Heritage Conservation Councils (HCC) were set up in the villages of Sangti (West Kameng) and Shernup (Tawang). The inaugural activity of the Councils included the adoption of one degraded patch of community-owned forest land per council, for afforestation. Saplings of tree species, native to the region, were sourced from the Forest Department and the planting was carried out involving village elders, youth, women and a highly enthusiastic bunch of school children. Awareness was also raised in the community on the need for preserving and managing the architectural heritage of the region.

Training for Tourism Stakeholders ~ In order to orient them towards proper visitor and destination management as well as market requirements, local stakeholders of tourism - tour operators, hotel owners and mountain guides, both existing and potential, were imparted training by the organisation in collaboration with professional institutions/organisations of repute namely, Sita Academy, Radisson Hotel and Mountaineering & Allied Sports Institute.

Business Development Services

Technology Transfer, Guidelines & Standards Development ~ A group of tourism stakeholders from the region were constituted into a band of ‘Eco-Professionals’ with orientation and training in appropriate environmental technologies (waste, water & energy) for sustainable tourism management. This group was also facilitated to formulate a Code of Conduct in order to adhere to a commonly agreed upon sets of do’s and don’ts in managing tourism and hospitality in the region, that would ensure positive tourist experience and environment & culture preservation.

Up Ahead . . .

The establishment of model village guesthouses and wayside amenities has been planned towards basic tourism infrastructure creation. To be constructed on land donated by the community, it will be built using traditional housing material and architectural design furnished with appropriate waste-water-energy management facilities. On similar lines, select wayside amenities on the tourist circuit are to be adopted and spruced up to tourism standards.

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