Ranchi: Two institutes of Jharkhand, one in Ranchi and other in Dhanbad, have been chosen to run a Centre-sponsored programme in which youngsters above 18 would be taught about various environment-friendly vocations that they could pick up and subsequently spread as mentors of an army of "green warriors".
The state forest and environment department will be among the implementing agency which will also offer various courses in addition to the institutes, namely, Indian of Forest Productivity (IFP) at Lalgutwa in Ranchi and IIT-ISM in Dhanbad.
While IFP is planning to offer courses in lac and tussar cultivation, IIT-ISM is meant to teach courses in air and water pollution monitoring.
Senior programme manager at the forest department's plantation, research and evaluation wing Suman Samir said they would offer coursesraining in bamboo craft, propagation-management of bamboo, and management of small botanical gardens to begin with.
"We have started working out the modalities, but are waiting for syllabus, course modules and other technical resources from the Centre. Soon, a meeting will be held with deputy commissioners and senior officials of the state forest department to launch the programme," he said.
The Green Skill Development Programme (GSDP), akin to the Centre's skill development programme, is being rolled out by the Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change.
According to a concept note put up on the ministry's website and twitter handle earlier in the week, the programme aims to offer various courses and training modules to skill enthusiasts as master trainers and specialists in vocations that help conserve mother nature.
The eligibility criteria for the three courses to be offered by the state forest and environment department were fairly lenient, said Samir. "Even a class 10 dropout can apply for bamboo craft. For the two other trades, applicants must have cleared class 12.
IFP's public relations officer Shambhu Nath Mishra said on Thursday that the modalities would be finalised within a week. "We will be offering courses on lac and tussar cultivation and propagation and management of bamboo," he said, although another IFP officer admitted that funds for the programme were yet to come.
IIT-ISM registrar Col M.K. Singh wasn't aware of the development, saying they had not received a formal communication as yet. Suman said the courses would help equip youngsters with specific information on the environment. "One can start a business based on these or turn mentors to make a difference in the larger cause of protecting the environment," he said.
