Societal Programme for Rural Development – (Department of Science & Technology)

Technological Advancement for Rural Areas (TARA)

Provide Long Term Core Support to S&T based/driven Voluntary Organizations. Core support enables agencies in development/adaptation, field testing and delivery of appropriate technologies for rural application to address location-specific needs and is not "institutional support".

Achievements:

• Currently, 25 such organizations are being provided facilitated on technology innovations/modulation, incubation and delivery in respective geographical coverage area to train and empower local community in field based technologies and packages.

Technological Interventions for Addressing Societal Needs (TIASN)

Achievements:

• Prototype for manual load carrier-head harness developed and field trials conducted
• Green & blue water harvesting techniques demonstrated in tribal districts of Panchmahal and Dahod in Gujarat.
• About 10 prototypes of assisted devices, developed, tested and ready for commercialization.

Sustainable Agriculture Rural Transformation Holistic Initiative (SARTHI)

Location-Specific Interventions addressed issues related to Livelihood, Health & Nutrition, Drudgery and Local Resource Management in the lower Shivaliks.

Achievements:

• Management and utilization of Lantana Camara to improve livelihood in Kandi region of Punjab; Punjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana, in collaboration with Forest Research Institute, Dehradun developed a technology package to collect the biomass and its effective usage in making handmade paper.
• Three training programs were also conducted on handmade paper manufacturing from Lantana biomass for 15 potential entrepreneurs from Talwara & Bhung block of Kandi region of Punjab, at Cellulose and Paper Division, FRI, Dehradun.
• Trainees trained with production of handmade paper technology will be able to generate income of Rs.10000/-pm.
• Wheat varieties (HD-2967) and (HD-3086) recorded yield of 52q/ha and 45q/ha respectively with yield increase of 14% and 2% than the local ones (PBW-226, PBW-292) with an estimated increased profit of Rs.40,000/- from 1ha of land.
• Three improved paddy varieties (P-1121, P-1612, and P-2511) gives yield 50.13 qt/ ha as compared to local variety which gives 45.60qt/ha with increased yield of 6.57, 14.69 and 8.55%, respectively as compared to local check (Sarbati) leading to an estimated increased profit of Rs.10,800/- per ha.

Scheme for Young Scientist and Technologists (SYST)

The scheme nurtures young scientists to take up S&T based projects of societal relevance with lab-to-land approach.

Achievements:

• Design, Development and Testing of a Continuous Aonla Pricking Machine
• Design and Development of Manually Operated Equipment for Bamboo Stripes Manufacturing

Societal Programme for Rural Development – (Department of Biotechnology)

In rural areas for dissemination and use of biotechnological process and tools and for creation of new employment avenues training and demonstration projects were supported in various states. Few major projects were supported in an integrated manner utilising the bio-resources available as 'Bio-village' have been supported.

• Biological Pest Control - Biological Control of crop pests was implemented for the benefit of rural population in Jabalpur District of Madhya Pradesh.
• Sericulture - Farm training in silkworm rearing was implemented at Sher-E-Kashmir University of Agriculture and Technology, Jammu.
• Pisciculture - To induced seed production in Fish Hatchery and rearing was taken up as a livelihood option for rural youths and farmers in three blocks of Bhagalpur District in Bihar.
• Health - To create awareness about preventable causes of mental retardation, namely; congenital hypothyroidism, biotinidase deficiency and galactosemia and to establish the newborn screening program as a multi-institutional project by SGPGI, Lucknow.
• Fish Culture in Horticulture Ponds - Enhancement of rural farmers through fish culture in horticulture based polythene lined farm ponds was undertaken by College of Fishery Science, Nagpur.