Agartala, 29th June 2026: The Indo-German Development Cooperation Climate Resilient Forest Landscape and Community Development Project (IGDC-CREFLAT) organised a two-day Orientation-cum-Refresher Training Programme for Village Community Workers (VCWs), technical staff and field forest personnel in Dhalai district on June 26 and 27 to strengthen field-level implementation and enhance technical capacities.
The first phase of the programme was held at Ambassa on June 26, while the second phase took place at Gumti Wildlife Sanctuary in Gandacherra on June 27. The training focused on forest conservation, biodiversity management, climate resilience and sustainable livelihood development.
Welcoming the participants, District Forest Officer of Dhalai, Sangita Aba Khatal, stressed the importance of coordinated implementation, institutional learning and effective field execution for achieving project goals.
The programme was led by IGDC-CREFLAT Chief Executive Officer and Project Director S. Prabhu, who informed that the project has entered its sixth year of implementation. He said Village Development Plans (VDPs) for 129 of the targeted 145 villages have already been completed. He urged field staff to ensure effective implementation of interventions such as check dams, Entry Point Activities (EPAs) and four-tier plantation models with proper documentation and monitoring.
Technical sessions covered participatory planning, agroforestry, biodiversity conservation, climate resilience, livelihood promotion, environmental safeguards, monitoring and evaluation and Management Information Systems (MIS).
Agroforestry Specialist Prof. S.K. Barik highlighted participatory planning, ecosystem services, carbon credits and strengthening community institutions, while Deputy Chief Technical Advisor Dr Vincent T. Darlong discussed institutional strengthening, social inclusion, documentation and timely reporting.
Biodiversity Specialist Dr Kaushik Majumder emphasised conservation planning and informed that six Community Based Conservation Areas (CBCAs) have already been mapped under the project.
Sessions on Non-Timber Forest Products, environmental safeguards and MIS were conducted by senior technical experts. The programme also focused on community-led forest protection, human-wildlife conflict mitigation and eco-tourism opportunities around Gumti Wildlife Sanctuary and Dumboor Reservoir.
Senior officials, technical experts and Village Community Workers from across Dhalai district actively participated in the programme.
