Project ‘Unlocking livelihood...’ to be extended to other Darjeeling tea gardens

Amitava Banerjee, MP, 12 Jan 2025, 1:52 PM Darjeeling: Encouraged by the outcome of the ‘Unlocking livelihood opportunities for tea garden workers of Darjeeling’ project, the Darjeeling Welfare Society (DWS) now plans to expand it to other tea gardens. 

“A little over a year ago, the Darjeeling Welfare Society (DWS) welcomed representatives from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, who showed a deep commitment to supporting tea estate workers of the Darjeeling region. 

On January 10, the DWS team, with senior representatives from the Gates Foundation; Grant Thornton Bharat (GT); Central and state governments and GTA, visited Panighatta-Chenga and Ambootia Tea Estates to review the progress of this initiative. 

The local communities were highly appreciative of the agricultural livelihood project. DWS now plans to expand this pilot project to Moonda Kotee, Peshok, Mangajung and Samrik tea estates,” stated Harsh Vardhan Shringla, former Foreign Secretary and the founder of DWS. 

The project is aimed at providing alternative livelihoods for workers of closed tea gardens. “Under the programme, the beneficiaries are imparted with skill development training on how to start kitchen gardens, beekeeping, growing areca nuts, producing ‘Kalo Sabun’ (local dishwashing soap). 

The beneficiaries are given all the required support in the way of logistics, marketing, raw material and saplings,” Salina Gurung, Executive Project Officer, DWS, told Millennium Post. 

“The programme seeks to uplift 5,000+ households by increasing household incomes by 25–30 per cent and establishing more than 25 Producer Groups (PGs) along with creating seven new sustainable enterprises in the region. The initiative emphasises transitioning Self-Help Groups (SHGs) into Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) through training, capacity building and creating strong market linkages. 

The programme has received significant support from both the West Bengal government and the GTA, enabling the successful rollout of these transformative initiatives. 

The West Bengal State Rural Livelihood Mission (WBSRLM) provided Rs 8 lakhs in funding for the Panighata pilot phase, which saw the formation of four PGs and the launch of the Arecanut Processing PG, a project that has empowered local farmers to add value to their produce, leading to increased incomes,” stated Eva, Associate Director, Grant Thornton. 

The programme also included the distribution of training certificates to beneficiaries, trade licenses to PGs, and areca nut processing kits in Panighata. “By supporting tea garden workers with new skills, resources and opportunities, the initiative is paving the way for a brighter and more secure future in the Darjeeling region,” added Shringla. 

Source & Courtesy: Millennium Post 

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/project-unlocking-livelihood-to-be-extended-to-other-darjeeling-tea-gardens-594491