State level program NGO for Community Participation, Livelihood Promotion and Capacity Building under IDIPT Uttarakhand

State level program NGO for Community Participation, Livelihood Promotion and Capacity Building under IDIPT Uttarakhand”

The Project Management Unit, Infrastructure, Development, Investment Program for Tourism (IDIPT), Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board, Govt of Uttarakhand has selected Institute for Development Support (IDS) as a State level program NGO for Community Participation, Livelihood Promotion and Capacity Building under IDIPT Uttarakhand”.

The Asian Bank Supported Infrastructure Development Investment Program for Tourism (IDIPT) targets enhanced economic growth and provision of livelihood opportunities for local communities through tourism infrastructure development with a focus on preservation and development of natural and cultural heritage and incidental services. The Program supports the state of Uttarakhand to develop the tourism sector as a key driver for economic growth.

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT

The program objectives are:

To enhance economic growth of the region.
To provide livelihood opportunities for local communities through tourism infrastructure development, with a focus on preservation and development of natural and cultural heritage and incidental services.

Under the project, IDS is working in 71 villages of 12 districts (Dehradun, Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Pauri, Rudraprayag, Tehri, Haridwar, Nainital, Pithoragarh, Almora, Bageshwar, Champawat and Udham Singh Nagar for promotion of rural tourism for economic enhancement. The main activities under the project are following.

A. INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

For developing village level institutions following activities are being taken.

Identification of Local Volunteers and existing groups, formation of new groups or strengthening of existing groups viz. Women Self Help Groups, Youth Groups, Tourist Guides, Cultural & Heritage Societies, Volunteer Groups, Village Panchayats, Temple Committees, Village Level Committees, etc.
Strengthening local panchayats to ensure their active role in the program activities. Like Environment & Heritage Conservation, Livelihood Promotion for Urban & Rural Poor, Marketing and Promotion of local end products.

B. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION, AWARENESS GENERATION AND IEC ACTIVITIES

Facilitating awareness generation and community mobilization programs for rural tourism promotion, ADB policies and procedures, information dissemination on social environment issues, gender sensitization, health, hygiene, environment, culture & heritage conservation and local community participation in tourism related development activities. IDS has prepared, designed and print grass-root IEC material and facilitate these activities in the field in such a way, so as to portray positive and enabling environment can be created for rural tourism promotion.

C. LIVELIHOOD PROMOTION & ENTREPRENEURSHIP DEVELOPMENT

Facilitating different tourism and allied livelihood activities as per local available resources with the individual and groups. Trade wise group formation and facilitate series of skill development training program at every stage of entrepreneurship development. To up-scale enterprise generating cash incomes and to introduce new income sources. Improve access to market through a value chain approach and the provision of physical infrastructure for market access. The value chain approach involves market/subsector studies, introduction of new technologies, market linkage, skill development, product development and promotion of physical infrastructure for market access.

D. CAPACITY BUILDING OF MULTI-STAKEHOLDER

Organizing field level capacity building activities, trainings and workshops to orient entrepreneurs on various economic enterprises. Field level disclosure meetings, skill development trainings through convergence is an important role of the IDS Training need assessment and identification and formation of trade wise/ sector specific groups for capacity building and training as per program requirements is the major task of the IDS.
IDS has also developed their own eco tourism training centre to provide skill training to the existing and potential entrepreneurs in different aspects.

E. COORDINATION AND NETWORKING

IDS is working as a link between project units (PMU and PIUs), consultants (DSCs and PMC), contractors, line agencies, district administration, local government (Panchayats and ULBs) and community. Convergence with other schemes and departments is also an important aspect to save duplicity of works for community up gradation.