Society For Technology & Development
a Non Government Organization

1. Core Support 2020-2023 (Phase-III) )

Funding Agency : DST

2. S & T intervention in traditional craft of Chamba, Himachal Pradesh for the uplifftment of SC population with special reference to vegetable tanned leather (Chamba Chappal and allied products)

Funding Agency : DST

The Chamba rural Leather tanning/craft in rural areas (among the oldest traditionalskills/Practice) has declined virtually to extinction in the last few decades,unable to match the productivities of, or withstand pressures from, the growingorganized tanning indus­try.  Most of artisans have become de-skilled,having lost their traditional occupations and have swollen the ranks ofagricultural /other manual labour. Rawhides  emanate from dead cattle invillages,  still  flayed mostly  by traditional flayers, they thengo  through  various stages/levels of curing, storage, transportationand trade  to finally reach industrial tanneries mostly in urban concentra­tions. Some estimates put wastage or damage of rawhides at fairly high levels of15 to 20 percent.

                        An alternative scenariowas envisaged and worked out to tackle these problems, while simultaneously`restructuring'   the leather tanning in favour of manufacturingbases in rural areas so as to benefit the artisans.            Briefly, it is based on `short-circuiting' the flow ofmateri­als(raw  hides  and  finished leathers)  described above,  by producing  leather  at  appropriatelyscaled  units  in  rural areas(the  source  of rawhides ) and selling these  in  local market to the extent demandexists and to non-local markets as finished or semi-finished leathers. Theproposed glazed vegetable leather unit linked with product diversificationcould also later be networked or clustered for expanded and higher value-addedethnic product such as chamba chappal and other products for sales to bothlocal and non-local markets

 

            In such a ‘restructuring' largesavings in transport/storage costs   and   trade marginswould be   effected.   Further, wastage/spoilage would beminimized by processing of hides virtually at source and improved collectionand flaying prac­tices through networking of flayers motivated by higher pricesfor raw hides made possible by the above savings.

 

            It would also significantly lightenthe pollution load in these larger units, mostly in urban concentrations, bycutting down the number of operations/processes required.  A major benefitis the minimization (or even virtual avoidance) of salt-bearing    effluents    generated    in     pre-tanningprocesses/operations. If the latter are carried out in  decen­tralized rural units,not only is the pollution load lower due to  smaller  scales butalso, the relatively  smaller  surface area required for solarevaporation is more readily  available in rural areas.


3. Up gradation of conventional river rope way crossings exist in rural/hilly terrains over main rivers

Funding Agency : NA

4. Coping with uncertainty: Building community resilience and ecosystem based adaptation to climate change in the Indian Himalayan region

Funding Agency : IUCN

5. Core Long Term Programme

Funding Agency : DST

6. Technology Intervention for Elderly (TIE) (2010-13)

Funding Agency : DST

7. Core Support 2008-2013 (Phase-I)

Funding Agency : DST

8. Core Support 2013-2018 (Phase-II)(2013-18)

Funding Agency : DST

9. Coping with uncertainty: Building community resilience and ecosystem based adaptation to climate change in the Indian Himalayan region (2016-18)

Funding Agency : IUCN

10. Young Scientist Scheme (2010-13)

Funding Agency : DST

11. Up-Scaling of Pine Needles Briquetting (2015-17)

Funding Agency : GEF/UNDP

Up-Scaling of Pine needles and other bio-mass pine needle briquetting technology through women based community organization in hilly area of Mandi, HP

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