“Development involves rebuilding of every aspect of human life –social, political and economic” -Mahatma Gandhi

Vision and Mission
Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore Gram Seva Kendra (GRTGSK) is one of the activity centres of NCRI. The programmes of the centre are a blend of Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy of the Gram Swaraj & self-reliance and Rabindranath Tagore’s approach of voluntary rural reconstruction.

Activities and programmes supported
 Rural Extension Services

• To  train rural development professionals in various streams of extension services
• To tie-up with research institutions / IITs and technology providers for technology and knowledge transfer to the rural areas
• To develop innovative and appropriate rural technologies
• To provide initial training to bare-foot rural technologists and trainers for application of innovative rural technologies in the following rural sectors:
• Agricultural, allied sectors and natural  resources
• Food and nutrition
• Health and environment, and       
• Renewable Energies

Courses around emerging rural occupations and vocational skills

• To identify emerging rural occupations in farm and non-farm sectors for livelihood promotion
• To develop relevant courses and curriculum
• To train master trainers
• To train bare-foot practitioners
• To improve the quality of vocational skills for value-addition

Promotion of Traditional Knowledge Systems (TKS)

• To develop courses in TKS (Rural health, agriculture, handicrafts, etc.)
• To document best-practices in TKS for dissemination and replication
• To train bare-foot TKS practitioners

Rural Entrepreneurship Development (RDP)

• Training of trainers in rural entrepreneurship
• To develop rural livelihood practitioners for promotion of community / SHG enterprises through SHG federations
• To develop programmes for rural consultancy services as a career
• To develop rural marketing network consultants
• To develop techno-managerial cadres

Tagore Siksha, Sanskriti and Sadhana Kendras (TSSSK)
GRTGSK is focusing on establishment of Tagore Siksha, Sanskriti and Sadhana Kendras to empower rural youth through education (Siksha) culture (Sanskriti) and practice (Sadhana) in collaboration with Universities and rural institutes spread across the country for demonstration and application of innovative rural technologies, training of trainers, repositioning of traditional knowledge systems and, region-specific and culture-centric livelihood programmes. TSSSKs will be developed as centres of excellence for non-formal rural higher education and TKS as unique models.

Target Groups:

• Institutions working for promotion of Traditional Knowledge Systems and training  in emerging rural occupations
• Village-level Community Based Organisations (CBOs) / SHG groups
• Working professionals of Rural Institutes
• Voluntary groups in the rural sector
• Aspirants willing to take up rural development and extension as a professional career

Expected outcome:

• Empowerment of rural people through Siksha (education) Sanskriti ( culture) and Sadhana (practice)
• Trained of rural techno-managerial cadres
• Master trainer’s through Training of Trainers (TOTs) for promotion of emerging rural occupations
• Rural Technologists for technology adoption at the grass-roots level and propagation of the same as a career
• Trained of bare-foot practitioners for repositioning Traditional Knowledge Systems as career avenues
• Enabling collaboration of rural institutes with corporate groups to take up the process of rural development under various CSR initiatives.
•  Repositioning and transfer of knowledge to future generations though documentation of TKS

Projects supported
1)Emerging role of traditional folk-healers (Gunis)
As part of the promotion of traditional knowledge systems, the centre organised a workshop on the Emerging role of Traditional Folk Healers (GUNIS) in promotion of traditional systems of medicine in association with Jan Jagran Vikas Samiti, Udaipur, Rajasthan.

• Emerging role of traditional folk-healers (GUNIS)

House herbal garden at Valley village, Udaipur, Rajasthan	Exhibition on traditional Guni medicine at Vally, Udaipur, Rajasthan.

• More than 40 Gunis from various districts i.e. Udaipur, Chittorgarh, Banswara, Udaipur, Bhilwara took part in the workshop
• Tribal doctors i.e. Gunis, shared their knowledge of traditional medicines and treatment expertise during the seminar
• The workshop tried to draw attention toward the emerging role of Gunis in traditional system of Medicine, Importance of Home Herbal Garden (HHGs) and Community Health Knowledge Registers (CHKRs)

2)National seminar on traditional systems of Ayurvedic, Yoga and nature cure
Amrita School of Ayurveda, Amrita Viswa Vidyapeetham, Kerala, organised a two-day national seminar on Traditional Systems of Ayurveda, Yoga and Nature Cure, under the aegis of NCRI as part of its promotion of traditional knowledge systems.
The seminar focused on the important traditional systems of medicine such as:

• Ayurveda
• Naturopathy
• Yogic practices
• Vishachikitsa
• Netrachikitsa
• Balachikitsa
• Reikhi therapy etc

Dr. S.V. Prabhath, Chairman, NCRI, addressing at the inaugural session

3) Information plays a vital role in rural community empowerment through RIs
Information plays a vital role in meeting most of the challenges that we face in today’s globalised environment which places special emphasis on linking up of several information sources. Converting them into useful and timely support for the needy people is a challenging task. As part of the strengthening of Rural Resource Informatics Centre and, collaboration in various activities with different institutes across the country, NCRI conducted a state-level workshop on 14th March, 2011, at the Kumarappa Institute of Gram Swaraj, Jaipur, Rajasthan.  The workshop was inagurated by Mr. M. L. Mehta {Chief Secretary (retd.) Govt. of Rajasthan) as a Chief Guest.Dr. I. Sreenivasulu from NCRI also addressed the gathering.

Address by Dr.I. Sreenivasulu, Project Officer, GRTGSK of NCRI

Around 33 representatives from various state and national level NGOs participated in the workshop. The major ones among these were RMOL, RUDSETI, Aadhar, Tilonia, Vihaan, SARA, Rajmeeru and many other prominent organisations working with youth in rural areas of Rajasthan by providing them skilled or unskilled educations and making them part of the mainstream development process.

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Contact:
Coordinator
Ph: 040-23422102
E-mail: cgsm@ncri.in

Project Officer
Ph: 040-23422102
E-mail: gsm@ncri.in