Good Initiatives: Alternative Livelihood: Dairy project involving 74 villages hopes to keep jobless youths away from wildlife crime

A dairy project involving 74 villages dotting Kaziranga National Park is hoping to wean jobless youths away from poaching and end the milk drought in Upper Assam.

As part of the joint plan with the forest department, the dairy department has selected the revenue villages where dairy farms will be set up to engage unemployed youths, many of whom are lured into assisting poachers for money.

“We have seen over the years that unemployed youths of these villages get involved in poaching, directly or indirectly, as they have no source of income. By engaging these youths in the dairy farms, we are sure they will stay away from poaching,” dairy development officer Nilim Bora told The Telegraph.

As there is a high demand for milk in the Upper Assam districts, especially Bokakhat, which is famous for its pedas, there will be no problem of finding a market to sell the milk, the official said.

The project hopes to provide at least two Jersey cows each to a small group of four-five youths in all these 74 villages. These small dairy farms will be funded by the Agricultural Technology Management Agency.

“We will also arrange for bank loans for these youths so that they can develop these farms,” Bora said.

Sources in the dairy department said there were plans to introduce similar schemes in the state’s other national parks as well.

“We want to start the project at Kaziranga and if things work out well, similar projects will be implemented near Orang, Pobitora and Manas national parks,” an official of the department said.

An official at the Kaziranga National Park said the forest department was ready to help implement projects that engaged local youths to wean them away from poaching.

“We have set up eco-development committees in villages near the park involving local youths in various self-employment schemes like piggery and bee-keeping. We have also engaged women in weaving and other activities,” he said.

The official said it was through the initiative of these self-help groups that several youths, who were involved in poaching or were helping out poachers, have returned to the mainstream.

“Fourteen young men, who were engaged in poaching or working as linkmen to the poachers, were brought back to the village with the assurance of the villagers that they would be provided with alternative livelihood opportunities,” the official said.

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