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Soumendra Sahu
NEW DELHI, JAN 8: To help rural industries become competitive, the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) is launching a programme to support various technology upgradation projects with the help of voluntary agencies and organisations like the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Department of Science and Technology (DST) and IIT-Delhi. The programme named National co-ordinated project for Intensive Rural Industrialisation would entail a total cost of Rs 100 crore. The DST and CSIR together will contribute about Rs 20 crore and the balance amount will come from KVIC.
Experts feel that there is an urgent need for science and technology (S&T) institutions and organisations like KVIC to evolve programmes for collaboration towards integration of proven technology packages for the development of village industries. "This interaction and collaboration will have the potential and could generate a major programme of rural industrialisation," says Mahesh Sharma, chairman, KVIC.
KVIC isorganising a national convention on rural industrialisation from January 23-25 in New Delhi. About 1,500 rural artisans are expected to participate in the three-day event. Sharma feels that the convention will provide a platform for the artisans to observe new technologies. Saranjam Sammelan, a part of the convention, will provide a glimpse of the new generation machinery, which can be absorbed in the rural areas.
KVIC has set up several committees for the guidance of various programmes undertaken by the organisation. The commission will act as the nodal agency and provide technical, managerial and other back-up support to the rural entrepreneurs to ensure the viability and self-sustainability. This project is expected to attract financial institutions for providing support to future programmes. "It will pave the way for integration of innovative S&T based models with mainstream developmental programmes," says Sharma.
Model projects based on proven technology packages for the benefit of artisans hasalready been taken up and areas like Chhotanagpur and Santhal Pargana and parts of North-East have already been chosen to start with. "KVIC is in the process of identifying other clusters for intensive employment generation," says Sharma.
An apex committee will look after the progress of the programme. The Apex Co-ordination Committee, chaired by the union minister for Science and Technology, will guide the whole programme. The chairman of KVIC, director- general of CSIR and secretary, DST, with some eminent scientists will be the members of the committee.
The National Programme Steering Committee (NPSC), which will guide the overall planning and implementation of the programme, has been entrusted with the responsibility of providing policy and other guidelines and monitor the overall progress of the programme.
It will also oversee, guide and monitor the working and implementation of the projects. The project co-ordinators of each technology would report its progress to the NPSC. The NPSC would alsomonitor overall utilisation of funds. The committee will be headed by an eminent expert.
The secretariat and the overall co-ordination of the programme will be provided by KVIC through its centres. "A national level centre needs to be developed specially for this purpose to provide scientific inputs for rural industries," says Sharma.
There are 750 projects proposed to be set up under the programme. Of these, 100 units each will be from from soap and detergents, low cost fruit and vegetable processing and preservation, bio-fertilisers and pesticides and pulses and cereals processing. Among other projects, 50 each will be low cost housing technology like MC roofing tiles, mud block, fire proof thatch, bee keeping and honey processing, artisanal red-clay pottery, artisanal leather tanning, fallen carcass utilisation, oil extraction and purification, handmade paper and milk preservation and processing.
Besides these, 25 projects have been identified for particle board making and 20 for leaf, cups and platemaking.
Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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