AGARTALA, December 12 (TIWN): Chief Executive Officer and Project Director of JICA, Tripura G.S. Raju denied about the allocation of Rs 1400 crores loan as being spread by some sections of media in Tripura.

Speaking to TIWN, Chief Executive Officer and Project Director of JICA, Tripura G.S. Raju said that "at present I don’t have any information about the allocation of Rs 1400 crores loan. So it is not possible to confirm it now", he added. Certainly If that happens, Mr Raju would be the first person to know in Tripura. 

Now its quite surprising that Head of Tripura's JICA project G.S.Raju has no clue about Rs 1400 crores allocation from Japan but few of Tripura's "sit-at-home-news-manufacturing" journalists spreading the wrong information on Rs. 1400 crores allocation from Japan.

"I did not get any information regarding the allocation of Rs 1400 crores loan to the state and till now i did not get any from higher authorities", G.S.Raju added.

It is to be mentioned here that the Tripura JICA project was active since 2007-2008 across 40 range management units, 35 blocks across seven districts of the state. The rest of the blocks were covered under operation of the Indo German Development Cooperation. 

To review the current progress of JICA project, on December 9, a two-member delegation from central office, New Delhi- the Project Formulation Advisor, JICA- Dr. Miki Enoki and Lead Development Specialist- Anurag Saha arrived in Tripura today. They left the state on December 12. During their visit, they will visit Trishna and Bagafa and would attend different vital meetings. After arriving in the state, Dr. Miki Enoki met with the Tripura Forest Minister- Naresh Jamatia at Civil Secretariat, here today.

To restore, degrade the forests and to provide sustainable livelihoods to the forest dependent communities through Joint Forest Management Committees, covering 8 Divisional Management Units (DMUs), 40 Range Management Units (RMUs),  35 Blocks (Rest Blocks are covered by IGDC Project) Tripura JICA Project in seven districts- West Tripura, Sepahijala, Khowai, South Tripura, Gomati, Unakoti and North Tripura (Partly)  35 blocks (Rest Blocks are covered by IGDC Project), Tripura JICA Project has been implementing different welfare schemes since 2007-08 under Tripura Forest Department and achieved many milestones till July, 2014.

According to a senior officer of JICA, the project is covering 456 hamlets including 410 JFMCs, 30 EDCs and 16 Re-grouped villages. More than 90 percent of the villages are located in Autonomous District Council (ADC) areas, he said. The project is under progress by the 90 percent granted funds of Central Government and 10 percent of loan, he added.

On being asked about the achievements, the project has completed Socio- Economic Baseline Survey in 341 villages (Including 61 control villages), he said. The complete target to artificial and aided regeneration of Bamboo and Miscellaneous Species will be achieved in the session 2014-15.

For the restoration of forests and alleviation of poverty, GIS based Project Area Mapping and Bamboo resource mapping of Tripura have already been completed using Remote Sensing and GIS under JICA project, he said. JFMC area mapping of 393 JFMCs using high resolution Cartosat- I satellite images, digitization of forest boundaries, Mouza, beat, range and division boundaries and digitization of road, railway and rivers have been completed, the officer added.  

The officer further said, “Preparation of GIS Database on Project activities like SWCs, VTCs has been completed while digitization of plantations under progress. Web Enabled Management Information System (WEMIS) software was developed and being used in the project and for monitoring of 1400 SHGs technology-based monitoring system called IGA monitoring cell was set up at the PMU.”

Besides the JICA project is developing artisans in handloom and fabric designing involving the women SHGs and increasing skilled artisans in bamboo-based crafts such as lathe turning products, bamboo basketry, bamboo ornaments, bamboo furniture and bamboo mats, the project is conducting human health camps, livestock health camps in remote areas, he added.