The three-day training programme on High-Quality Millet Cultivation concluded today at Salma
Gram Panchayat, Saltora Block, Bankura District, West Bengal.
The programme was conducted under the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative of Coal India Limited (CIL) and implemented by IIT (ISM) Dhanbad as part of the CSR-sponsored project titled:
“Designing and Delivering a Capacity Building Programme for High-Quality Millet Cultivation
to Empower Tribal Women Entrepreneurs in West Bengal and Creating a Digital Marketing
Platform for Effective Delivery.
The initiative was aimed at empowering tribal women entrepreneurs by promoting sustainable
millet farming, enhancing livelihood opportunities, and fostering entrepreneurship. With its strong
emphasis on climate-resilient agriculture, nutrition security, value addition, and digital
marketing, the programme sought to transform millet cultivation into a commercially viable and
community-driven livelihood model.
The training sessions were conducted by Dr. Sibajee Banerjee, Assistant Professor in Agronomy,
Bidhan Chandra Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, West Bengal, who trained selected villagers in
scientific cultivation practices, post-harvest processing, and entrepreneurial pathways.
The training received an encouraging response from the local community. Panchayat members,
NGOs, Sachiv and Up-Sachiv, Krishak Bandhus, health workers, Anganwadi workers, agricultural
officers, and villagers actively participated. More than 100 villagers expressed their interest in
taking up millet cultivation, reflecting increasing awareness about sustainable and nutrition-focused
farming.
The project was led by Prof. Niladri Das (Principal Investigator) and Prof. Rashmi Singh (Co-
Principal Investigator), with the implementation team comprising Rohit Singh, Sunny Kumar,
Sumana Banerjee, and Firdous Ansari from IIT (ISM) Dhanbad.
This initiative underscores the strong commitment of Coal India Limited (CIL) towards inclusive
and sustainable rural development by strengthening capacity building, promoting livelihoods, and
empowering tribal communities in West Bengal.
Rajni Singh
Dean (Corporate Communications)
