Special Article: Innovative initiative for empowerment of tribal youth in forest areas of Chhattisgarh under the guidance of Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Dev Sai

 Green Skill Development Program is helpful in preserving traditional knowledge of flora and fauna and increasing employment opportunities for youth.

Chhattisgarh Forest Department is continuously taking important initiatives to protect the interests of tribal forest dwellers in the state and for environmental and wildlife conservation. Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Dev Sai and Forest Minister Shri Kedar Kashyap have well understood the challenges faced by the youth of tribal communities and the need for biodiversity conservation. Under their visionary leadership, a comprehensive strategy has been prepared to empower these communities and preserve the rich natural heritage of Chhattisgarh state.

Chhattisgarh Forest Department has recently launched a unique skill development training program under the Green Skill Development Program initiated by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India. The objective of this innovative initiative is to make the tribal youth living in the forest areas of Chhattisgarh self-reliant by providing them special training and certification. Under this program, the youth are being trained in an important subject like parataxonomy, which is very important for biodiversity conservation.
Parataxonomy is a method in which quick identification and classification of various species is done for biological research. This method is especially useful in biodiversity-rich areas like Chhattisgarh. After this training, the trained youth can work in various professions like National Park Guide, Tourist Guide, Nature Camp Manager, Traditional Healer and can get employment opportunities in institutions like Botanical Survey of India and Zoological Survey of India.

Forest Minister Shri Kedar Kashyap said that in our state, under the leadership of Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Dev Sai, many schemes have been made for the welfare of the tribes. Due to the proper implementation of which all the people are getting timely benefits. Sharing the concept behind this training program, Forest Force Chief of Chhattisgarh State Shri V. Srinivas Rao said that this initiative is an important step towards involving local communities in the biodiversity conservation of Chhattisgarh. This training not only increases the employment prospects of the youth, but also provides an opportunity to preserve traditional knowledge about local flora and fauna and hand it over to the next generation.
Chairman of Chhattisgarh State Biodiversity Board Shri Rakesh Chaturvedi, emphasizing the wide impact of this initiative, said that this program is not just a training course. It is a transformative opportunity for the tribal youth of Chhattisgarh. By providing skills in parataxonomy, we are promoting a generation that is not only knowledgeable about its environment, but is also committed to preserving it. Speaking about the important role of para taxonomy in environmental conservation, Mr. Rajesh Kumar Chandele, IFS, Member Secretary, Chhattisgarh State Biodiversity Board said that para taxonomy helps in ecosystem monitoring and resource conservation by identifying bio-indicator plants.

Out of the 53 participants who attended the training, 40 were tribal youths with educational background ranging from 10+2 to graduation and came from various forest divisions like Kanker, Kondagaon, Keshkal, Bhanupratappur and Narayanpur. The training programme was organised at Chhattisgarh State Forest Research and Training Institute from 22nd July to 18th August. During the 30-day training, the participants participated in both classroom teaching and fieldwork, in which they visited sites like Jungle Safari, Mohrega, Sirpur, Arjuni, Barnawapara and Udanti Wildlife Sanctuary and identified and documented various species. During the training, 93 types of macrofungi, 153 types of vegetation, 47 medicinal plants and 187 types of seeds were identified and documented.

This training has proved to be extremely beneficial for the participants. Dr. Neetu Harmukh, Senior Scientist, Chhattisgarh State Biodiversity Board played an important role in this training. She said that all the participants were eager and eager to learn skills in parataxonomy. Sharing his experience, Tribhuvan Kumar Karga, a 24-year-old tribal youth of Dumrapani village in Kanker district said, “After receiving training in parataxonomy, my confidence has definitely increased. Now new avenues of income generation have opened up for me. Similarly, Rakesh Netam, a 39-year-old tribal community participant from village Mudhowa Charama, Kanker district said that this training has given me the knowledge to understand the biodiversity of our forests. Now I feel an important responsibility towards the conservation of natural resources.

Tribal women have also benefited greatly from this programme. Ms Divya Markam, a 22-year-old woman from Baderajpur Vishampuri village in Kondagaon district said that as a woman from a tribal area, opportunities for special education and employment have been limited. This training in parataxonomy has given me a new experience, it will provide us with new employment opportunities and will also empower tribal women. It will also help in preserving the biodiversity of the region.
Seeing the success of the training, Chhattisgarh Forest Department is planning to expand this programme to other parts of the state like Jagdalpur, Surguja, Bilaspur and Durg. Apart from this, the Forest Department has planned to use the participants of the first batch as master trainers for the upcoming parataxonomy training sessions, which will not only provide experience and employment opportunities to the participants of the first batch, but will also ensure continuity and sustainability of the programme.
This training programme has already shown significant results in biodiversity conservation. The participants have identified and documented several rare flora and fauna species in their local areas, including a unique yellow-shelled turtle ( Lissemys Punctata ) and rare plants such as Gloriosa superba, Ophioglossum and Nervelia.

This effort to empower the tribal youth of Chhattisgarh and preserve the rich biodiversity of the state has ensured that our natural heritage remains safe for generations to come.