Assam Rifles empowers Tripura villagers with skilled training
New Kerala
By Pinaki Das, Agartala : Assam Rifles better known as the ‘Friends of the Hill People’, for decades have been actively engaged in providing security and socio-economic services to people in the northeast region. The force recently adopted two villages in Tripura, providing hope to many families.
Two far-flung villages Ratanpur and Champahaur under Khowai sub-division of West Tripura were adopted as ‘friendship villages’ by the Assam Rifles.
People appreciated this gesture and turned up at the training center to tailor a new life for them. The women, who had a lot of time at their disposal earlier, are now in the process of becoming a productive force. The training made them economically independent.
“The people of the villages are very poor. By learning tailoring, it will not only benefit them but also their families, they can come and open their own shop, and earn money, “said Assam Rifles Havelder N R Chakraborty.
The beneficiaries also feel that the training has empowered them to lead a new life.
Ilu Debbarma, one of the trainees feels: “Earlier we use to sit in our home doing nothing, but Assam Rifle called us, and trained us, we benefitted a lot from this, we have learned to make various kinds of tailored items.â€
Besides stitching, the villagers are also trained to produce various handicrafts, using locally available material.
Bamboo, which is readily available in the nearby areas, is used in making handicraft that is in great demand both in the domestic as well as international market.
Trainees believe that this training would help them augment their income and improve their standard of living.
“We came to know that Assam Rifles is conducting handicraft training and so we joined it because if we complete the training, then our future will be bright. At present we are few students but if there are more facilities then many more shall be joining here. We are doing this training because we want to be self-dependent,†said Monoj Debbarma, a handicraft student.
Under this program people are also being trained as motor-mechanics and drivers.
The villagers hope that the effort would create more employment opportunities and mobilize the available resources for the benefit of the whole community.
“Here we are learning driving and getting motor mechanics training from the Assam Rifles. This helps us get bank loans easily and at the same time we can repay the loans on time. Moreover, Assam Rifles also distributes blankets, medicine, and books. They also supply drinking water,†said the enthusiastic Santosh Debbarma.
It is this accessibility and their concern with social service that has made the men in uniform popular and helped them gain the confidence of the people.
Earlier also Assam Rifles has organized such camps, where people turned up in large numbers.
No wonder Tripura is a success story today so far as containing militancy is concerned. It is people’s participation and cooperation that has turned the tables against insurgents and helped bring about relative peace in the state.
