Matir Srishti

Government West Bengal has launched the Project “MATIR SRISTI” in six pachimanchal district during May, 2020 with a view to transform barren land into green vegetation and to create all possible livelihood opportunities by dovetailing inputs from various line dept/Schemes/Programmes of Central and State Govt.

Purulia a repertoire of untainted and unmatched beauty, occupies a special niche in “Beautiful Bengal”. But, being a part of the Chota Nagpur plateau – the soil here is undulating and barren with a porous layer, which cannot retain water. High dependency on the primary sector and lack of variety due to water scarcity, seriously mark the livelihood options. Here the water runs off, soil erodes and with water and soil people also migrate in search of employment. Of let the pandemic has reduced the out -migration and accentuated the employment problem. The struggle for development in Purulia becomes the struggle for in situ conservation of water, soil and people.

The launching of Matir Srishti germinates a new ray of hope for Purulia. On one side rejuvenating the barren land and on the other, resurrecting jobless peopleexcelling natural and human resources at the same breath is the prime objective of this scheme. “Matir Srishti” champions the idea of water, soil and human resource conservation and promotion. In one word it is about “Integrated Natural Resource Management (INRM)”.

The scheme set a foot in May’2020. And within less than two years, it has changed more than five thousand acres of lands and transformed 5480 human lives in the district. Recharged pits, happas, Staggered trench and other water conservation models are coming up for every parcel of land and soil health is improving rapidly. The district has witnessed a glut of vegetable and fruit production even in the lockdown periods. Convergence with fisheries, poultry and duckery are mushrooming, floriculture is blossoming and medicinal plants are growing day by day. The serene and pristine natural beauty of Matir Srishti sites is also paving the scope of tourism developing tourism circuits involving butterfly gardens, bio-diversity and nature parks, day tourism centers. The pyramidal model of livelihood development touches upon all three sectors of the economy and binds different department with a single thread.

But the growth of district dwellers has outpaced the growth of the district. This is for the first time; they have earned the status of entrepreneur removing the shackle and stigma of beneficiary. Cooperative, Farmers Interest Groups (FIGs) and Self Help Groups (SHGs) are the nucleus and the driving force of the Matir Srishti movement.