JHARKHAND: As the Deputy Director in the Palamau Tiger Reserve (PTR), Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Prajesh Kant Jena has taken it upon himself to check the migration of youth to other states in search of livelihood.
He has come up with an initiative, Hunar se Rozgar, under which youngsters living in local villages are undergoing free 45-day training programmes at two centres within the reserve – Batla and Mandal – to develop proficiency in computer operations, mechanics and various other domains. Girls, for example, are receiving training in sewing, knitting and embroidery.
Ask Jena what the objective of this initiative is, and he explains, “It’s meant to boost the confidence of youngsters living in remote jungles of PTR by developing certain employable skill in them, as most of them are engaged in daily wage labour despite being educated.”
But how did this idea crop up? “I have noticed through my time here in this reserve that most youngsters living in these jungles either get engaged in traditional forest-related practices or migrate to other states in search of livelihood.”
That’s what prompted him to do something that could arrest the trend of youth migration to other states hundreds of kilometres from home. Besides training, the youngsters are also provided with employment opportunities with the help of the NGO partners as part of the initiative.
As many as 30 youngsters from villages falling under the reserve have already undergone training to become computer operators. Many of them have already been handed offer letters and are looking forward to counseling. Another batch of 30 people has been equipped with the knowledge of two-wheeler mechanics, enabling them to seek relevant jobs or set up their own bike repair centres.
This was just the first phase of the initiative. In the next phase, a fresh batch of 30 youths will get electrician training, where they will be trained to install and repair solar panels and air conditioners.
Though Jena launched the initiative to help tackle the exodus of youths, at the end of the day, he just wants them to have more opportunities. “Villagers living in the reserve are completely dependent on subsistence agriculture. We want to make them so capable that they can land a job anywhere in the world.”
Forester Akhilesh Kumar, who has been assigned the task to identify youths for the training programme, shares that most of the trainee computer operators have been placed in Gujarat. Ask him what hurdles this initiative has faced, and pat comes his reply: “The most challenging part has been to identify youths based on their educational qualifications and convince them to join the training programme.”