Agricultural implement support for flood affected farmers

Stambardo village is located in Khaltse block of Leh district. Several residents of the village were badly affected by the flash floods in 2010, with many houses severely damaged and the belongings of several households having been washed away. The village is extremely remote and the floods had also washed away the road leading to the village. As a result, the village received very little attention for relief and rehabilitation, from the local authorities, and households affected by the flood have had to, by and large, fend for themselves, and deal with the destruction caused by the floods.

Tashi Angchok (age: 44 years) is a resident of Stambardo village. He is a small farmer with a land holding of 12 ‘canals’ (around 1.5 acre). Tashi’s house was badly damaged and most of his agricultural tools were washed away. Since his livelihood and incomes were severely affected, Tashi could not purchase any replacements of the tools he had lost. Throughout 2011, he had to depend on tools borrowed from other fellow farmers for attending to his farm work. This however meant that he seldom received the tools at the right time for farm operations, since the farmers owning the tools could spare them only after they had completed the farm work in their own fields. This had meant a decline in his crop production. Some farmers had also charged him a small amount for the use of their tools, thus cutting into his agricultural incomes.

In the year 2012, the agricultural implements provided by Pragya under the project have been of great help to Tashi. Tashi says that now he no longer needs to depend on tools borrowed from other farmers and he can attend to farm activities at the right time and can expect a good crop.

(More about Pragya's work on Disaster Management)

Skill building Training for Tour Operators

Pragya held a two-day training for stakeholders related to tourism sector in Tawang district, Arunachal Pradesh. Facilitated by the Ecotourism Enterprise Cluster, the training was aimed at developing entrepreneurship and skill for tour operators and tourist guides in the region along with stimulating stewardship for conservation of the natural wealth. The training session covered: fundamentals of eco-tourism; the tourism policies in India and their significance; business planning; personality development and communication skills; tourist accommodation and hospitality; and eco-tourism as a tool for conserving the natural heritage that the region boasts of. Government officials from the Tourism Department provided valuable insights on sustainable tourism to the participants.

Training of mothers on nutritious diet

A one-day training event in was held at Joshimath aimed at creating awareness among women on the importance of a balanced and nutritious diet in leading a healthy life and encouraging improved cultivation practices to help women grow high-nutrient vegetables in their kitchen gardens. Mr. B.S. Bhati, Agriculture Officer was the resource person for the event, who informed the participants about the different varieties of vegetables, their nutrient values and how they can be grown in kitchen gardens. He also gave some important insights on starting and designing a kitchen garden for growing nutritive crops round the year. It was a valuable training for the participants and Pragya’s efforts were highly appreciated.

Debrief meeting for Economic Justice Programme Evaluation

As part of an evaluation study of Oxfam India’s Economic Justice programme in Uttarakhand, a briefing meeting was held at Dehradun. Consultants from Pragya Solutions discussed their initial findings from field visits and documents appraisals with the representatives of 9 implementing partners and Oxfam India staff. Inputs for final assessment report were collected and way ahead discussed during the meeting.

Citizen Government Meet addressing health concerns at high altitudes

As a part of Pragya’s rights based initiative supported by UNDEF, a Citizen Government Meet was conducted in Kinnaur to facilitate interaction between the health department and the citizens. The interactive session and constructive dialogues enabled the people to become aware of the various health related government schemes and provisions and to raise concerns regarding the services of the department. The event, attended by 38 participants, included representatives from 18 villages in upper and lower Kinnaur, members of the High Himalayan Forum (HHF), NGO representatives from across the district and officials from Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and Auxiliary Nurse and Midwives (ANMs).

The meeting started with a brief presentation of Pragya’s rapid participatory assessment of the healthcare status in Kinnaur district. Following this, Dr. S.S. Negi, representing the Health Department spoke about the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) and the schemes available for citizens in Kinnaur. Concerns raised during the interactive discussion session regarding the status of Primary Health Care in remote villages included: lack of gynecologists at block level, incapacity of medical personnel and lack of knowledge regarding the major schemes for pregnant women and children among the community members. A request was put forward for the department to conduct more health camps at the block level instead of village level, where surgeries and eye-checks could be done. The issues raised were documented by the representatives from the health department and they assured further interventions in coordination with the state level machineries. (More about related efforts by Pragya)

Stakeholder Workshop to contribute towards ‘Protocol for Safe Working Conditions of the Migrant Road/Dam Workers’

A district level stakeholder workshop was conducted at district headquarter Keylong (Lahaul & Spiti) to draft policy recommendations for ‘Protocol for Safe Working Conditions of the Migrant Road/Dam Workers’. As part of a series of stakeholder discussion oriented workshops across various high Himalayan districts, the workshop explored various concerns shared by the migrant workers working in these harsh terrains and the employers and discussed possible solutions. (More about this Pragya initiative)

Clean water for Il Ngwesi community at Emurua Olaragai

As a part of the clean water initiative by Pragya in Laikipia and Samburu districts, a village level meeting was conducted in Emurua Olaragai village of ll Ngwesi community to map the local water sources and to identify the issues concerning these sources. Three important sources were identified - Oltamam Spring, Loiragai Spring and Looltuka Spring out of which, people prioritized the Oltamam Spring for protective measures. As a result of the intervention carried out in the months of July and August, about 30 households in Emurua Olaragai village now have access to clean and safe water evidenced by lesser incidences of water borne diseases in the area.