23rd July 2023, Chennai
The voices of coastal and tribal women were heard in the form of their success stories of aquaculture-based livelihood development at a workshop on “Listening to the voices of coastal and tribal women and their success stories and awareness on livelihood opportunities including rural and aqua Tourism" today. The workshop was organized by the ICAR-Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture, Chennai jointly with the Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation.
Thiru.S. Annadurai, CLS, Director, Tribal Welfare Department, Govt. of Tamil Nadu was the Chief Guest for the inaugural session. In his presidential address, he highlighted that coastal fisher and tribal women folk have special skill sets with reference to fish production, marketing, and value addition and they should utilize the technological support provided by ICAR-CIBA for their socio-economic development. He informed that Tribal Welfare Department will soon sign an MoU with ICAR-CIBA for taking up aquaculture-based livelihood development activities for tribal folk in the coastal districts. The Government of Tamil Nadu is implementing many tribal welfare schemes like integrated tribal development programme and Yekaliva model schools for the tribal children run by the government he added. He narrated the success story of leasing-in of cashew orchards by the Irula tribal groups in Ariyalur district of Tamil Nadu with the facilitation of tribal welfare and forest departments. He also released the handbook on success stories of coastal and tribal women during the occasion.
Dr. Kuldeep Kumar Lal, Director, ICAR-CIBA in his inaugural speech articulated that ICAR-CIBA is a research institution developing the skill sets of the coastal women and tribal folk through its technology assessment and front-line demonstration programmes under the Scheduled Tribal Component. ICAR-CIBA is taking efforts to link these women and tribal groups with the development departments of the states for taking up of aquaculture based livelihoods through their schemes he emphasized. Asian Seabass nursery and farming, Mud crab fattening and integrated farming of seaweed and finfishes are the technologies identified for that he informed.
The Chief Guest of the valedictory session, Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, Chairperson, M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), Chennai appreciated the efforts taken by ICAR-CIBA in developing aquaculture-based sustainable livelihood development models for the coastal families. MSSRF is in the process of signing an MoU with CIBA for jointly implementing aquaculture-based livelihood development projects in Cuddalore and Myladuthurai districts of Tamil Nadu, she added.
About 150 coastal and tribal women engaged in aquaculture-based livelihoods from Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, Cuddalore and Chengalpattu districts of Tamil Nadu and officials from development departments, financial institutions, and NGOs participated in the workshop.
(Source: ICAR-Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture, Chennai)
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