A documentary film directed by Susanta Biswas titled "Tribal Women, Afforestation and Sustainability" was selected and screened in the 15th Kolkata Film Festival 2009. A certificate in this regard was handed over on a function held at NANDAN by The Director, Kolkata Film Festival on 21st August 2010 evening
A documentary film directed by Susanta Biswas titled "Tribal Women, Afforestation and Sustainability" was selected and screened in the 15th Kolkata Film Festival 2009. The documentary is made on the sustainable effort of tribal women in social forestry. The employment generation for the disadvantaged sections of the society, particularly women, scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and landless rural labourers inhabiting the forests and adjoining areas is one of the important aspect of the National Afforestation Program. There is ample opportunity for the structured involvement of rural women’s groups under the Programme which provides for plantation and development of degraded forests. Under the current Forest Development Agency structure of planning and fund flow for the National Afforestation Program, the involvement of local woman Self-Help Group is encouraged for nursery raising with a view to utilizing the planting material in the afforestation projects. These groups are also being assisted in procuring financial support which promote formation of rural woman Self-Help Groups and their skill up-gradation. According to the prescribed structure the good work done by the Joint Forest Management Committee as the implementing agency at the grassroots level of Mandu, a village in Hazaribagh (presently Ramgarh) district in the state of Jharkhand worth mention as the participation of women in the National Afforestation Program has enriched the whole activity. The women folk have established and nurtured local temporary nurseries by themselves only. As well as the plantation except pit digging was also done by them and their counterparts in the tribals. They are protecting and caring the plantation with a sustained effort. Along with protection and enhancement of forests, the women were grouped and formed into Self-Help Groups. The women groups are raising capital through regular savings and accumulation of interests from internal lending. They are also undertaking income generating activities like Tailoring, Poultry, and Vermiculture etc. with support from District Rural Development Agencies and other Government and Non-Government organisations. The women members of Mandu Joint Forest Management Committee are now not only protecting forests with motherly touch but also putting extra hands to increase their family income. They have empowered themselves to exercise their freedom and interact with the higher officials of any department. The hand that rocks the cradle makes the earth greener with the motherly touch.
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