Farmers' Training Programme at NERIST concludes

A five-days Farmers’ Training Programme on Bio-diesel and its economic benefits was organized by the Department of Mechanical Engineering of North Eastern Regional Institute of Science and Technology (NERIST), Nirjuli, Arunachal Pradesh concluded on Tuesday.

Prof. Dipankar Pal, Director of NERIST has attended in the valedictory function on the concluding day and emphasis that there is no need of much discussion on Bio-diesel, as the Bio-diesel from Jatropha is well established from research to market. It is the high time to us to switch over our dependency on fossil fuel to bio-fuel and strengthen the country economy. He further asserted that NERIST has been established to produce technically suited manpower for the development of North Eastern part of the country. He recalled that it is our moral responsibility to extend our knowledge and experienced to the grass root people of this region by various means like man and machine. The mechanical engineering department has tremendous potential and gallant effort to do such type of activity for the benefits of the rural people of this region as well for our own students. He expresses his willingness to extend all possible administrative help for continuing to keep up the same spirit of programme for the benefits of the common populace.

O. P. Mounglang, Manager of NABARD Regional Office at Itanagar attended the function as special guests highlighted the NABARD activities in this region and express his deep satisfaction after getting more capricious feedback from participants about the programme. He asked the coordinators of the programme Mr. Debabrata Maji and Mr. Biplab Das of mechanical engineering department of NERIST to submit minimum four to five proposal to the NABARD Office from the forth coming financial years in spite of only one proposal in a year for the benefits of our rural people as well as youth of Arunachal Pradesh. He graciously express from his heart that NERIST is such type of institute which can change the face of our new generation.

The Chairman, Organising committee and head of the mechanical engineering department Dr. Asis Giri said there is enough scope for the development of vegetable based seed plantation like jatropha for the economic growth of the agricultural sector and by this century India may turn into global power house during presenting his welcome address to the Guests.

The Coordinator of the programme Biplab Das has placed his detailed day by day report of the five days programme and expressed his thanks gratitude to the 34 participants for their cooperation and active participation in this programme. He asserted the need of this type of programme when the country facing tremendously on foreign exchange due to volatile fuel market in the world and asked the partcipants upon return back from training to home with jatropha plant may help them to intiate the Jatropha plantation near their home which would be realy a new jouney.

Debabrata Maji, the other Coordinator of this programme, has reminded that there is tremoundeous potential regarding biodiesel development in Arunachal Pradesh, but, the growth of biodiesel is hampered by lack of information, clear policy and regulatory frameworks and lack of institutions specifically charged with the role of developing it. There are a number of biodiesel initiatives throughout the state, however they are scattered, they are small and duplicated, and lack coordination. There is a need to create a specific institutional framework to address the development of bio-diesel in Arunachal Pradesh. Every participant has got 10 nos. Jatropha plant as a token of gesture for planting near their home, so a new journey can start from class room to field.