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UNI: CAPART calls for documentation of rural technology

UNI – Wednesday, February 17 1999

DEHRA DUN: The Council for Advancement of People’s Action in Rural Technology (CAPART) has called upon the several NGOs working in the Garhwal and Kumaon hills to begin documenting rural technology in this region.

Mr Ranjan Dutta, director general of CAPART who was recently in the Doon valley, said here that the report would also prepare a database on the rural resources of the Uttarakhand region.

Mr Dutta stressed the need to patent the rare herbs found in the Himalayas.

Mr Dutta visited the Himalayan Environmental, Social and Cultural Organisation (HESCO) office and training centre where HESCO volunteers provide training to rural women and men in the techniques to manufacture furniture from the Lantana weed.

He expressed appreciation for HESCO’s efforts to market a new mosquito repellent made from Lantana.

The CAPART is an autonomous body funded by the Central Government. It supports around 15,000 NGOs in the country to carry out rural development work.

Every year, about Rs fifty crore is distributed by CAPART for development of rural areas.

CAPART, established in 1986 to promote and assist voluntary organisations in the implementation of projects for sustainable development in the rural areas, is now adopting new guidelines for functioning to facilitate people’s participation and to ensure increase in the capacities of rural people.

Based on this new approach, CAPART will now establish a system of grading voluntary organisations based on their commitment, reputation and performance.

It has also taken up a programme to strengthen its evaluation and monitoring system through enlistment of professionally qualified project evaluators.

NGOs as development partners are the arms and brains of CAPART. Recipients of CAPART funds will be termed as `partner organisations’ of CAPART to symbolise the relationship of equality with them.

The NGOs of the Garhwal and Kumaon hill region require support from bodies like CAPART in order to carry out their various projects in remote hill areas of this fragile ecosystem. Development of human resource in this hill region is of extreme importance and has so far been neglected.



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