PALAKKAD: Nabard, the agriculture development agency, is stepping into the tribal welfare sector for the first time, by taking up livelihood schemes in three tribal hamlets of Alathur and Chittur taluks in the district.
Nabard had identified the tribal hamlets of Allimooppan, Muppathekkar and Kadapara in Parambikuam Tiger Reserve area in Chittur taluk and Thaligakkallu in Alathur taluk.
The five-year programme, from April 2017 to March 2022, will benefit 229 tribal families in these four remote settlements, said V R Reveendranath, chief general manager of Nabard, Kerala region. Nabard had sanctioned Rs 102.45 lakh for the projects and Rs 53.59 lakh was released for the first year of the project.
The major programme contents are livelihood intervention through goatry, dairy, poultry, petty shop and supply of sewing machines and grass gutting machines.The tribal people will also be given training in plantation and maintenance of amla, lime, coconut, arecanut, coffee, peppers, vegetable seeds and agro forestry shade trees like silver oak.
They will also take up soil conservation programmes, he said.
The tribal youth will be given training to drive four-wheeler vehicles and other skill development programmes also, he said.
These programmes will be implemented through Gangothri Charitable Cultural and Educational Trust, Nemmara. tnn
Arora said that the scope for digitization of rural banking is immense in these 5 states. Collectively there are around 150 DCC banks and a multitude of PACS associated with them. At a conservative estimate close to 100,000 Aadhaar enabled micro ATMs would be required that would transform the way rural India does banking.