Role of CRPs in tasar sector: Present status and future strategies

Aim: Employ of CRPs for utilization in tasar sericulture by needy organizations under various government schemes / developmental projects. Methodology: Community Resource Persons were nurtured under ISDS (Integrated Skill Development Scheme) of CSB and MKSP Tasar projects as a sector specialist cadre who works as specialist of knowing the cutting edge technologies of tasar culture and they will bring the theory of change further to unskilled community to build their skills and creating awareness about the new scientific practices of Tasar Sericulture and building their vision and understanding around communes. CRPs were trained collectively by PRADAN and CSB. Selection of beneficiaries, organizing them into Tasar Vikas Samities (TVSs), signing of agreement with beneficiaries, support for developing infrastructure, etc., during early period of the project, to get maximum project output and keep the tribal's interested in Tasar culture, utilization of the existing Tasar food plants in the forest areas/ raised under other schemes, Skill up-gradation, handholding support to the beneficiaries in creating activity groups were the primary activities achieved by engaging Community Resource Persons (CRP). Disease monitoring, technological support, etc., were monitored by these groups of resource person's. Results: A meticulous and customized evaluation programme of the CRPs was accomplished during 2022-23. A total of 479 CRPs nurtured under the special projects in the states of Jharkhand, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and West Bengal, were accredited jointly by CTRTI Ranchi, Birsa Agricultural University Ranchi, KVKs and TDF-PRADAN Deoghar at field level. CRPs from 05 states covering 18 districts, 46 blocks, and 248 villages consisting 340 males & 139 females participated in evaluation & accreditation of CRPs. It was found that 36.74 percentage of CRP's had expertise in rearing activities followed by grainage and rearing (33.40%) and grainage (11.27%), however; only 8.56 % of the CRP's had their expertise in post cocoon technology. The results of assessment of Community Resource Persons (CRPs) based on different criteria revealed that the CRP's having expertise in both grainage & rearing scored 35.95 which is highest among the CRP's. Whereas lowest score of 30.65 was noticed with the CRP's who had expertise in Grainage. With respect to different criteria for assessment of the CRP's expertise in Tropical Tasar under the criteria of timeliness and sincerity; CRP's scored 7.07 out of 10 score followed by community mobilization (6.83) & on field technology support (6.79). Interpretation: As Tasar sector has attracted attention of many funding agencies in the recent past, keeping in view the need of horizontal expansion and shortage of manpower with the State Sericulture departments and others parallel institutions, CRPs can play a vital role based on their skill sets for further utilization by needy organizations under various government schemes/developmental projects. Key words: Community resource person, Extension, Tasar sector, Training