TISS inks MoU with Andaman for rural knowledge centres

Port Blair, Aug 23 (UNI) The Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) has entered into a tie-up with Andaman's Agricultural Department for managing and developing a Rural Knowledge Centre (RKC) in the remote tsunami-hit Nicobar district of the Andaman and Nicobar(A&N) Islands.

In this direction, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between Development Commissioner of A &N Administration Tapan Mandal and the TISS Director here.

Head of National Commission on Farmers M S Swaminathan had already submitted an action plan to the Centre to foster a post-tsunami ''New Andaman Movement'', underscoring the need to strengthen socio-economic conditions through the RKC.

The TISS has been involved in post tsunami rehabilitation through need-assessments, workshops and livelihood-studies in the Islands, since January 2005.

The Institute is also offering a six month certificate course on ''sustainable development'' for the people of A &N Islands.

Altogeter ten RKCs, armed with phone, television and computer, had been set up in the Islands at Chouldari, Nimbudera, Urmila Pur, Nabogram and R K Pur besides, Terresa, Kachal, Kamorta, Campbell Bay and Car Nicobar islands, A &N Agriculture Department Director M A Salam told UNI.

UNI SKR SB SP CS1805