Sir Ratan Tata Trust enters 10-yr deal with U'khand govt

Sir Ratan Tata Trust (SRTT) has inked a 10-year pact with the Uttarakhand government to commence the second phase of Himmotthan project, which aims to empower the residents of the state.
In 2004, SRTT had signed a 10-year agreement with the Uttarakhand government for the first phase of the project.
Citing the example of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand Chief Secretary Subhash Kumar said commercial agriculture using the cluster approach would help in increasing the household income in Uttarakhand.
Kumar signed the agreement in the presence of Panchayati Raj Secretary Vinod Fonia and SRTT Secretary B S Taraporewala.
Under this project, people in the state will be trained to be self-reliant. The scheme is spread over 56 development blocks, with a budget of Rs 78 crore.

In 2001, SRTT started 'Himmotthan' in Uttarakhand, to focus on the root causes of rural development issues in the state.
The three major components of the programme included watershed conservation, water supply and sanitation, and farm and non-farm activities.
In 2005, following recommendations of a State Level Steering Committee (SLSC) meeting of the HMP, a state based Cell was set up to coordinate the programme. This unit, the Himmothan Cell was initiated in 2006.