Tripura’s ‘Bio-Villages’ Aim to Offer Sustainable Livelihood Opportunities: Deputy CM

According to Deputy Chief Minister Jishnu Dev Varma, the Tripura government has launched a mission to provide sustainable livelihood opportunities in rural areas through its 'bio-village' project. In Sepahijala district, five such villages have been established, complete with bio-gas power plants, improved livestock breeds, solar-powered agricultural equipment, and energy-efficient electrical devices, and five more will be established soon, he said.

According to Dev Varma, the project has resulted in a monthly increase in household income of Rs 5,500, with over 500 households benefiting. Farmers, he claims, have been taught simpler mushroom cultivation techniques, as well as the installation and maintenance of biogas units and bio-composting. According to him, the project's goal is to ensure holistic socio-economic development in rural communities through the use of climate-friendly technologies.

"It was a successful project, and we will try to replicate it in more villages because it is environmentally friendly, sustainable, healthy, and beneficial to rural people," Debbarma told reporters. Sumita Debbarma, 40, of tribal hamlet Borkurbari in Sepahijala district, was overjoyed because she could earn around Rs 20,000 by selling four Hampshire breed piglets in the local market.

She also sells Khaki Campbell ducklings, earning an additional Rs 6,000 per month through the Department of Biotechnology's 'bio-village' initiative. Gurudas Debbarma, a septuagenarian, said he was given a solar pump for irrigation, with which he cultivates vegetables and crops all year, increasing his income. The project has been slightly modified for implementation in the next five villages, according to Anjan Sengupta, Senior Scientific Officer of the Directorate of Biotechnology.

"The bio-village concept promotes organic agricultural practices in a specific location, along with other eco-friendly agricultural components." However, our concept aims to ensure socio-economic development for long-term growth. It also focuses on multi-entrepreneurial support to reduce the risk of failure due to natural disasters," he explained.

"The modified bio-village concept envisions wholesome village participation and gives beneficiaries autonomy in planning, designing, and selecting components of their choice," Sengupta said. Villagers can select from a variety of eco-friendly components to maximize financial and other indices such as comfort and happiness.

The project, which began as a pilot in one village, has now been expanded, and it benefits the village economy as a whole, he said. The project includes options such as establishing a bio-gas unit, a solar pump, a street light biomass stove, biotech kits that include bio-fertilizer and pesticides for agriculture, as well as animal husbandry and pisciculture. Beneficiaries can select between four and five components based on their available resources, potential, or interest.

"Borkurbari, located 5 kilometres from Bishramganj Bazar, is likely India's first bio-village. "The initiative has been well received by the locals," Sengupta said. According to him, the majority of the women beneficiaries have become experts in mushroom cultivation, which has provided them with additional income. Bio-villages like Das Para, Kharangsingh Para, and Fatikcherra are reshaping people's economic conditions for long-term development, he says.