Saving the Forest, Saving Livelihoods with One Renewable Energy at a Time!
MITCON was recently a part of solving a huge problem that the Forest departments faced all across India. In this case, the deteriorating condition & human wildlife conflict in the forests of Maharashtra, the State Government set up an Academy named Vanya Jeevan Skill Development Academy, Pangadi Sankul, Sindewahi Dist. Chandrapur in association with ICICI Foundation and MITCON Forum for Social Development.
The root cause of the problem was the dependence on forests of the tribal population for collecting resources and by extension the man-animal conflict that arose in such situations, resulting in losses of life, property, or resources. A rapidly growing human population that depends on forests for its livelihood has contributed to the severe degradation of over 40% of India’s forests.
To mitigate & solve all the above problems, the Forest Department along with ICICI Foundation and Mr. Chandrashekhar Bhosale, VP of MITCON Forum for Social Development decided to train the youth of the villages nearby forest area so that their dependence on the forest for livelihood can be decreased. MITCON Forum for Social Development has always extended its support to almost every sector in the country to help it move forward using innovative sustainable solutions.
It started by conducting Two Programs at the training center in Pangadi, namely:
- Solar Panel Installation & LED Light Technicians
- Field Technician of Electrical Home Appliances.
The programs yielded great benefits to the tribal youths and helped them stand on their feet without disturbing the forest ecosystems and at the same time benefit the country’s renewable energy sector. All these participants were guided by the motivational and refined speeches of Mr. N. R Praveen, Mr. Jitendra S. Ramgaonkar, and Mr. Abhay Kulkarni at the Valedictory Function.
MITCON’s cultivated contacts helped 47 tribal Students out of 50 get placements in this field in great companies. 28 participants were placed in Premium Solar, one in Shree Sai, Six in Atharva Services, 4 in DMPR & KISAN BAZAR DOT COM PRIVATE LIMITED, and 8 in GradeUp Solar Energy.
On 15 January 2022, 47/50 tribal people and their families began their journey towards a better life at the Valedictory function organized in the presence of Mr. N.R Praveen (Chief Conservation of forest, Chandrapur Circle), Mr. Jitendra S. Ramgaonkar (Field Director Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve), Mr. Abhay Kulkarni (Director MITCON Forum), Mr. Rajesh Mishra (Vice President, MITCON Skills), Mr.Naveen Kapoor (Project officer ICICI Foundation for Inclusive Growth), Mrs. Sonali Mishra and Mr. Santosh Lanke, Project Officers of the project.
The participants were handed the offer letters at the Valedictory ceremony and they were nothing but overjoyed with these opportunities. They bid thanks to MITCON & ICICI Foundation for giving them these wonderful opportunities and for changing their lives for the better. MITCON, under the experienced guidance of Mr. Chandrashekhar Bhosale (Vice President, MITCON Skills) continues to provide its guiding hand to other similar programs in the country with positive associations for the same.