Sugarcane Breeding Institute (ICAR-SBI), Coimbatore in collaboration with Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR), conducted ‘Tribal Nutrition Awareness Campaign’ and launched its STC (Scheduled Tribe Component) project at Sathyamangalam recently.
Coimbatore: Inaugurating the campaign, R. Kirubashankar IFS, Deputy Director, Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve & District Forest Officer, Sathyamangalam appreciated the efforts of ICAR-SBI in identifying ‘malnutrition’ as a serious issue among the tribals of STR and organizing a series of awareness campaigns to address this problem.
Stating that ICAR- SBI has been implementing the ‘Scheduled tribe component’ project in the tribal areas admirably, he said in addition to its scientific responsibilities, he called upon the tribals belonging to the adopted settlements, to make full use of the Institute’s expertise.
“The initiative of the Institute in providing radio sets as well as the daily programme schedule’ to the tribals is a laudable effort’ he noted.
Dr. G.Hemaprabha, Director of ICAR – Sugarcane Breeding Institute in her Presidential address, said that the tribals should be aware of the fact that education alone would pave the way for their economic development and prosperity.
While listing out the career opportunities available for the tribal children, she said school-going children, girls in particular, should not be undernourished and said that that the United Nations has declared 2023 as 'International Year of Millets' on India’s proposal,
“The millets should again find a regular place in the tribal diet as they have high fiber, protein and antioxidant contents†Hemaprabha noted..
In his Introductory remarks, Dr. D. Puthira Prathap, Principal Scientist and Nodal Officer, STC project said that about 450 tribals belonging to the settlements of Ramaranai, Bejalatti, Thadasalatti, Ittarai, Maavanatham and Kalithimbam in Talamalai region and Bathripadugai in Kadambur region of Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve will be benefitted by the project.
Among these villages, all households of Bathripadugai settlement are being supplied with Beehive boxes, as an experimental measure, to avoid human-animal conflict, since studies from Sri Lanka have shown that the sound of Indian honey- bees scare elephants away.
“Besides conducting awareness campaigns in these tribal settlements, ICAR-SBI will be distributing farm tools, household items such as radio sets, seed kits for setting up & maintaining a nutrition garden, areca nut seedlings, liquid jaggery and millet seeds to these tribals†he added.
Scientists from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University and ICAR-Sugarcane Breeding Institute and officials from Tamil Nadu forest department besides the tribal-heads participated in the event.
Stating that ICAR- SBI has been implementing the ‘Scheduled tribe component’ project in the tribal areas admirably, he said in addition to its scientific responsibilities, he called upon the tribals belonging to the adopted settlements, to make full use of the Institute’s expertise.
“The initiative of the Institute in providing radio sets as well as the daily programme schedule’ to the tribals is a laudable effort’ he noted.
Dr. G.Hemaprabha, Director of ICAR – Sugarcane Breeding Institute in her Presidential address, said that the tribals should be aware of the fact that education alone would pave the way for their economic development and prosperity.
While listing out the career opportunities available for the tribal children, she said school-going children, girls in particular, should not be undernourished and said that that the United Nations has declared 2023 as 'International Year of Millets' on India’s proposal,
“The millets should again find a regular place in the tribal diet as they have high fiber, protein and antioxidant contents†Hemaprabha noted..
In his Introductory remarks, Dr. D. Puthira Prathap, Principal Scientist and Nodal Officer, STC project said that about 450 tribals belonging to the settlements of Ramaranai, Bejalatti, Thadasalatti, Ittarai, Maavanatham and Kalithimbam in Talamalai region and Bathripadugai in Kadambur region of Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve will be benefitted by the project.
Among these villages, all households of Bathripadugai settlement are being supplied with Beehive boxes, as an experimental measure, to avoid human-animal conflict, since studies from Sri Lanka have shown that the sound of Indian honey- bees scare elephants away.
“Besides conducting awareness campaigns in these tribal settlements, ICAR-SBI will be distributing farm tools, household items such as radio sets, seed kits for setting up & maintaining a nutrition garden, areca nut seedlings, liquid jaggery and millet seeds to these tribals†he added.
Scientists from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University and ICAR-Sugarcane Breeding Institute and officials from Tamil Nadu forest department besides the tribal-heads participated in the event.