Rural Resources: Decentralized Development

Resource, knowledge, status and technology are important factors for the development of
Rural India. Rural folk have largely been ignorant to this fact as they were either confined to their immediate livelihood incomes they have been gaining through manual labour.
Economical status of Rural India is identically low everywhere because of the above facts.
There is not even approximation of resources rural villages are endowed with. Inventory and status of resources would have guided us for diverse economic productivity of rural India. Since notable agro climate exist in the country, plant diversity could have been equally used as Indian village are spread in diversity rich plant regime. Knowledge of this wealth is not categorically explored and atleast such knowledge has not been translated for rural India in monetary term. And therefore lack of resource knowledge in rural India has backlashed the progress of villages. Himalayan villages are unknown to most of the resources around them and even if it is there, its commercial importance is not verse to them.
Second important factor that has ceased the development of Indian villages is the position of resources. There is lot of hue and cry for depleting once but we are precisely unknown for resource strength of villages. Such strength can help straight in promoting/planning and economic harvesting of the resources.
The third and most important impediment of resources based development has been poor technology know-how in rural India. Resource use technology has been mostly in control of industrial communities as these are centrally productive, costly and require much huge setup. Low cost, economical, socialized technologies are normally not invented, as there are no buyers. Moreover, rural community cannot afford to buy technologies. This is the reason why technology development has been market oriented in the past. Scope of technology development for industrial houses and urban India is high as immediate market for such technologies is available. At the same time rural area is not a market for technology developing agencies leading to poor scope of development.
There are many other factors of rural development particularly in context of technology. Either they have not been developed, or inappropriately developed, or inappropriately developed or are inaccessible to local community. Technology gaps have been serious hindrance of development of rural India. Lack of technologies prevented community to make use of their local resources for economic upliftment which otherwise flow down to mainland. Centrally developed industrialization has been the bigger obstruction of rural India where decentralized development has been impaired due to outflow of resources. Decentralized technology reach process was not adopted since beginning and trend has been set more to create urban India. One and only way we are bound to take on is to strike decentralized development strategies from urban to rural. Decentralized economic upliftment based on local resources can lift the face of any region. Strong economic activities can also create necessary infrastructure and therefore growth of any given region is sustained.
Economic activities in rural India can only be agro based, as land is the only asset here. Resources being it naturally generated, are simply community based and controlled more by rural India. Therefore economic strategies here should India. Therefore economic strategies here should focus upon resources governed by community.
Complete resources use and knowledge, technologies for resource use and rural market, which hitherto is invaded by the products made else-where, should be first concern of development.
Development should also be realized in view of its strength, which lay upon its resources, climate, culture and tradition. New wisdom and science have to be introduced in villages through total understanding with sincere commitment. Empowerment of villages in India is totally possible as the diversity of the country can offer tremendous scope of variability in productivity and so the market.
A few inputs can help us to redeem rural India from poverty. Resources strength, resources strength, resource education and resource technology can only bring major difference. Realization of resource strength, its market to rural Indian is most important input particularly when green resources have international market, when other forces are gaining advantage of such resource and when migration due to unemployment has been larger concern in rural India.
This needs urgent action as rural India has relatively become more a market for the products they guard/produce as raw. Their resources are simply translated into profit by others. This is high time when rural India must be must be made to realize its strength and also transfer of knowledge should be done to generate local resource based economy. This is possible through development of knowledge linkages with rural India and institution framework to strengthen knowledge transfer, technology backup and also market knitty gritty both local and international.
Such approach should focus upon research on traditional knowledge, local, resources, resources conservation, process market, technology to empower rural India through well planned connectivity. Resource education can impart many immediate advantages. Issues like resources knowledge rights will be protected within villages and besides issues like rural documentation of resources wisdom, initiative, for technology animation with tradition for effective transfer, organized approach to resource use, market facilitation and regional resources publicity and advocacy will be important areas, which resources education will cover.
The first claim on natural resources falls on to local community and it is their birthright. It is a symbiotic relationship in which nature offers them all for their survival, while helps in the conservation of the natural resources. The communities, who live in the vicinity of these resources also guard them for the others to use. Be it of any kind, resources are more attached to local community. The rights cannot be denied for others but social and moral values push them more towards the locals. Traditionally, the villages used to live in harmony with these resources, but in course of time, the relation was broken due to enforcement of new laws.
Infact resource use inequity has created discrimination in development. The region where resources are abundant lack employment and where there is no resource, economic mobility through resource take place. This creates unsolved problem nexus like over crowding, migration from rural areas and unemployment. Decentralized development is most important in rural context and it would be only possible by emphasizing resource based economy in the areas where it is produced. This would simultaneously ensure resource guarding, conversation and maintenance.Ironically, those who are using for its conservation, while those who are guarding for its conservation, while those who are guarding the resource are not equipped to use it.
Indian development if closely scrutinized will reveal that it is inclined to urban industrialization, which of course has significantly contributed to national GRP. Rural India is still untouched and is far off many immediate and priority needs. The economic and social stress the country is presently facing are overcrowding cities and migrating rural Indian for job search in absence of local employment.
Since India has two major features like rural dominance and agricultural economy, our focus should have been more on integration of the two. Inspite of the above facts that overall environment and resource status have stepped down in the past few decades yet rural India is still endowed with ample resource strength.
It is ironical that rural community is unaware of its rights and there is an immediate need to encourage it through Resource Knowledge. Thus the first step that needs to be taken is to review the resource status of any agro-climate zone at various levels i.e. Macro level (Regional) and Panchayat Level. Such information will help us to asses rural strength and likewise economic development activities suited to local culture can be decided.
Human resources, which provide basic platform for any activity to carried out. The interdependency of rural human resources in villages has been degenerating with rapid industrialization and urbanization. Human resources can be upgraded by giving due status and by providing resources education. Local and traditional wisdom is most of the time overlooked. Traditional wisdom if utilized to suit their advancing needs,can contribute a lot toward human resource development. Knowledge about local resource development. Knowledge about local ecology, skill and resources would empower the community to utilize it to the maximum.
Raw material for the industries most of the time come from rural India. In a way villagers are depriving themselves of their own resources just because of lack of knowledge and skill. In other cases, many resources are unexplored. Thus the immediate step that come after resources use is providing market space.
Resource sustainability is a contemporary global issue particularly in underdeveloped countries. In all such nations, centralized development of resource use has been brought about. Contrary, in developed countries this phenomenon has been different. The development has occurred equally to all regions, resources utility was enforced in places where it is grown/found.
There are ample examples in India, which shows resources bias approach. Herbs are found in areas where forest diversity is rich. The community’s unawareness towards the potential of these resources simply allows it to transport to other areas. This set two situations, dwindling of resource status in the region and migration of strong hands in the other places for job search. Had there been an approach of resources use in the place it is borne, increase in local employment, resource conservation would have occurred in place.
Forest, a major natural resource is presently in control of state, cannot be placed in sound health. Forest fires, a prevalent menace has incurred huge loss of flora and fauna amounting to billions, besides damaging ecology of the region. It was not there earlier as community collectively uses to put out fire as a part of traditional forest management. Unfortunately, it is not so today. Fire in front of the community engulfs million hectare of forest, but communities do not take any note, it is definitely because of loss of rights.
Water, another resource has met out the similar fate. The infringement upon the rights related to water has made the community indifferent about its conservation and management and is the reason why local water bodies have began to deplete.
Sovereignty empowers the people to decide how to develop themselves and make use of their resources. Commercialization of resources and clear rights of community on them is the only answer now for decentralized development. The so-called nationalization of resources has created unemployment, dissatisfaction and resource depletion. Haphazard industrial growth in one place and vacuum in other (where a resource is found) has brought large disparity in the region. It is in fact region. It is in fact regionalization of resource, which has become important to local community.
Resources knowledge and education is the most important necessity for India. We must ensure that rural community must be enlightened about the resources they are endowed with. Such an immediate initiative can help rural areas in several ways. Awareness of local resources will help to generate scope for local employment.
Such a sense will bring resource conservation initiative within villages, which hitherto is not seen. Villagers ignored of resources and utility have not taken any note of availability and conservation. As a result either these resources died away or drifted to urban areas for larger profit. Resource education will also empower future community with the knowledge to draw their livelihood from the local resources. Thus in course of time, future generation will stand to its resources for their livelihood and also sense of continuous harvesting will impel for conservation of resources. Resource education can also be imparted through such institute. School, colleges and resource institute can be sensitized for this materials can be used as education material.
Some Case Studies
(1) Watermill:

Watermills have been used from time immemorial to grind grain into flour, but nobody ever thought of utilizing this device to generate power. These age-old gadgets are still being used in the hills, which have grinding wheat, rice, maize and also to extract oil. But in the absence of appropriate technology, watermills were never used for any other purpose on which they run is the same as that of a large hydroelectric project.

Watermills have been used for grinding grain into flour since ancient times.
This source of patronized and technologically upgraded. Regretfully, this ancient source of energy locally known as “Gharat” was overshadowed with the other costly energy sources.

Lachhiwala Gharat

Demonstration site developed by HESCO is an old gharat owned by Ram Gopal at Lachhiwala near Dehradun. The upgradation has been on improvement of traditional turbine. With upgradation of watermill, the owner has been able to improve the efficiency of the watermill. He has been to sell the flour grounded in the watermill to various shops earning a sizeable amount every month. Moreover, with 2 KW electricity produced from the turbine fitted at the watermill, he has been able to light his gharat. He has also been able to provide electricity to the sericulture activity in which he is involved for nearly four months in a year. With the assistance and technical guidance of HESCO, he has also built a fishpond near his watermill, which would also give him good return. There has been an appreciable rise in the living standards of his family with increased income.

Dhokwala

Dhokwala an old village situated 8 from Dehradun, the capital city of Uttaranchal state was untouched by electricity and other amenities like metaled road, hospital, schools etc. situated so close to center of political and administrative power , no government
agency had any plan to ameliorate the lives of the villagers. But the village was blessed with three watermills used for grinding the flour as a livelihood for millers. In 2002, the millers with HESCO attempted to electrify the village.
The technology developed was in accordance with local skills , multipurpose
utility and essentially an upgradation of the traditional technology. Each of these mills were fully tapped to generate power and ultimately success came with generation of 3kw power. Through the efforts of the villagers themselves, the entire village was lit. The generation of power has also opened newer avenues for the population.
The experiment at Dhokwala has shown that traditional watermills could also be an instrument in bringing about change by using traditional wisdom, local resources and input of modern science and technology. This experiment could be an example for the planners and managers who could take lead in up gradation of these rural traditional initiatives for decentralized development.

Jammu & Kashmir

HESCO in association with Northern Command has taken up a couple of technology initiatives in different Army Sectors. The major activities have been on electrification were on income generation through local available resources. The local resources tapped were fruits, aromatic and other plants.
The above activities initiated in Srinagar, Baramulla, Punch and Rajouri of J&k.A long-term strategy has definitely helped to control dissatisfaction among the technology deprived community of the borders. Since these are meant to use local un/under tapped resources, decentralized employment opportunity with villages are well set in. The different tested technologies were spread across in the J&K Borders. This was possible through Sadbhavana project styles through Sadbhavana project operational in J&K to promote better life styles though creating infrastructure and other facility.
There are above eighty thousands water mills in J&K. These mills are either abandon or are poorly productive, whereas they can be turned productive as well as multipurpose. Many water mills in valley presently have electrified the border villages. The technology is simple, low cost and locally repairable.
Depending upon the current of water the Gharat’s upgraded by HESCO, can generated up to 15KW of energy, and can be used to light up bulbs in 100 or more houses in each village, and run various agro machines. Thus, this revolutionary concept has served to empower each village. Not only it makes it self sufficient in terms of power, it also generate employment by powering lathe machines. It is a novel and exciting new concept. Instead of waiting for massive Hydro Electric Project(which have very negative environmental consequences and uproot people) and require huge Power grids(that could cost upwards of Rs. 60-80,000 crore), a new concept of Distributed Power Generation which optimizes the concept of “small is beautiful” is taken.
Presently more than 200 villages have been electrified along with the borders and difficult areas of J&K. Electrification has been done to illuminate inaccessible regions, where electricity not likely to reach in coming decades. This has facilitated army to establish rapport with community to avoid militancy. The attempt has been commended by the local community to bestow faith in the national development strategy.
Governor of J&K Northern Command of Army have vowed to illuminated another 1500 villages along LOC through watermill to bring the peace through this technology. Presently right from Baramullah, Kupwara, Rajouri and all across the J&K border, the movement of village illumination has stepped into. This has also become a decentralized development initiative as watermills, besides, illumination resources, which hitherto were sold on thrown away prices or just ignored.

(2) Lantana:
Lantana an obnoxious weed is spreading over the Indian continent from sea level to high mountain ranges of western and eastern Himalayas. This is a woody shrub having five species. Since there is no use of this species, spread of the species has become alarming. After having failed in control of the species, through manual, biological and chemical methods, the utility of the species suggested to control the problem. A decade constant effort, done by HESCO, led it to utilize the species for several households to income generating activities.
The resistance of Lantana against termite adds one of the qualities of Lantana as construction material. Sticks are being used for boundary and for fencing the kitchen garden. Lantana sticks also guard the fruit plants raised. Cheap furniture made from Lantana are very popular today. Different articles like dust bin, file tray, fruit tray, pen stand, magazine holder, lampshed, flower pot, drift wood,book stand from its roots etc. are proposed to be made. It was observed that in swarming season bees mostly hang on Lantana bush for short time shelter. On the basis of this observation HESCO developed a Lantana beehive. Lantana beehive has been provided to the villagers for beekeeping.
It is only Goat that eats Lantana leaves. The pungent smell and others do not prevent Goat to graze the species. In some village Goat is raised particularly on Lantana leaves and in Lantana made shed.
A few case studies narrating Lantana utility through entrepreneur development are given below:
Vijay Pal Singh a lacal unemployed youth hailing from village Pavwalasora in Doiwala block of Dehradun district was on the lookout for a job to sustain his large family of four brothers and two sisters. Disillusioned after his failure to find a job, he came in contact with the organization.
Vijay Pal Singh enrolled himself to be trained in making furniture from Lantana camara. After successful training from Lantana camera. After successful training he along with his brothers, started making beautiful and durable furniture. Making sofa sets, chairs and center tables, Vijay Pal Singh has been able to earn a sum of Rs. 50,000/- every year. With the money earned from his venture which costs him nothing expect labour and expertise.
Apart from earning his livelihood, Vijay Pal Singh is also a much sought after man since he has been training unemployed rural youth like him in the art of Lantana furniture making. Already he has trained scores of people in Garhwal, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir and his success has motivated others to start the venture.

(3) Incense Material:

Uttara Dhoop Agarbatti Centre, Mehuawala, Dehradun

Mrs. Rukmani Devi is preparing the above materials on a commercial scale for the last two and a half years. Earlier, she had received training for making the above product at W.T.P. in HESCO. Now she has become an expert in her field, right from incense making, packaging to marketing of her products. Her enterprise has generated lot of interest and excitement in other unemployed rural women.
Rukmani Devi is a resident of village Mehuwala, Dehradun. This village belongs to the poor section with mainly marginal farmers. A landless labourer, she came in contact with HESCO and was taught incense making by using Lantana, which was available abundantly. Rukmani Devi utilized Lantana leaves as a natural resource for her family’s survival. Now she is earning Rs.1000-1500 per month through this job.

(4) Bee Keeping:
Rajni Devi, 22 year, housewife has initiated beekeeping. Pressed with the economic crunch, she found bee as reliever. She presently has two walls and Lantana hives each.
She has been doing it for the last one and a half year and is totally moved with the output. This happened when she harvested 28 kg of honey in 4 months. She has amazed by harvesting the golden drops merely by taking care of beehives. She is not one but she has spoken too with.
She now looks ahead beekeeping not only as honey producing but also as her major source of livelihood. Thus, she plans to have 20 colonies out of the local stock available by multiplication.

(5) Prasad:

India is a country with unique diversity both in culture and in resources. One common feature which is prevalent everywhere in the country is offering to God and Goddess in the form of flower, Prasad etc. Be it of any caste or religion, the regular offerings are served in temple or mosque or church everywhere. This is somehow associated with many other developing issues at regional level. For example a whole tourist industry is linked with such phenomena. The other small to large industries also have partly dependence on this. Incense cakes/sticks, vegetable oil, agro industries etc. have their target production for the temples/mosque/church of the country.
Unfortunately, all these oblation substance are prepared / processed in other areas. There are millions of example like Badrinath is temple offering items come from main land. Similarly in Gangotri and Kedarnath, such material is imported from urban areas. Vaishno Devi of Jammu, fated similarly.
There are two distinct issues where notice should be taken in relation to the cosmopolitan activity. First, why can’t such oblation material be attached to the identity of the shrine? Local synthesis of such offerings/ items from local resources may generate especially for women, should be second consideration.
This is ironical that famous shrines, where millions of pilgrims visit every year have not much able to deliver except a few labour jobs. These holy places may also bid number of job opportunities if meticulously thuough out by the planners specially.
There are couple of areas where local community can be engaged for preparation of religious material and eventually the raw material for the same is available in abundance locally everywhere. With reference to incense material, prasad and flower, which are, regular offering substance in all the shrines, can be locally ser up in any part of the rural India.
A rough estimate reveals that alone in Uttaranchal the offerings material to outstanding temples are worth of 20 lakhs, which is simply arranged offerings can be available for the same. Similarly in Vaishno Devi, available raw material can produce employment worth of millions.
(6) Horiculture:

Horiculture crops are a very significant component of the total agriculture production in the country but this is more particularly true with the Himalayan region. In the country as a whole horticulture crops roughly cover 6-7 percent of the grass cropped area but contribute about 18% of the gross value of agricultural produce. In terms of export they contribute 52% of the total export of agriculture produce. According to the National Commission on Agriculture-horiculture crops are labour intensive, while the average annual man-day required for wheat is 143 per hectare and 855 for fruits.
This is equally true that large parts of the fruits go waste. A rough estimate reveals that about 48% fruits turn waste. The need of the hour is to create an infrastructure for village level horticulture utilization, for mountains, which will ultimately add to national prosperity.
Appropriate technology package to women for lacal fruits based small-scale industry has recently brought revolution in mountains. It became just possible through transfer of simple technology.
Mrs. Kala Bisht, resident of village Ambiwala, Dehradun who was trained in fruit processing has ventured into a small scale industry through Bank loan. She has also employed 13 women and earns about 4000 per month.
Similarly, Mrs. Rajni Chaukiyal of village Bhaniyawala, Dehradun, a beneficiary started with 7 kg Pickle from her kitchen has now promoted to small production center from where she also supplies pickles to Himalayan Hospital, Dehradun. She is earning Rs. 4500 per month through this job.
What these two entrepreneurs earn from their village resource has set an example for others. It is about 50 such units have rapidly come after. It was possible only because local resources, local upgraded technology and local market ere integrated for community development.