KVIC launches its Re-Hab project in Nainital to reduce elephant attacks on humans, farmers’ crops Ananya Upadhyaya, Financial Express November 30, 2022 See link <https://www.financialexpress.com/industry/sme/msme-eodb-kvic-launches-its-re-hab-project-in-nainital-to-reduce-elephant-attacks-on-humans-farmers-crops/2896279/> for photo. Ease of Doing Business for MSMEs: The government’s statutory body for development of khadi and village industry Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) Chairman Manoj Kumar on Monday inaugurated its Re-Hab Project (Reducing Human Attacks using Honey Bees) at village Chausla of Nainital district, Uttarakhand in an attempt to safeguard humans and farmers’ crops from elephant attacks. During his visit to the village, Kumar distributed 330 bee-boxes, bee-colonies and toolkits along with the honey extractors to the rural beneficiaries of the village, said MSME ministry in a statement. The ministry said KVIC is already the Re-Hab project in seven states of the country including Karnataka, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Assam and Orissa as the elephant attacks are common in these areas. Under this project fencing of bee boxes is installed in areas from where elephants move towards the human settlements and farmers’ agriculture. The bee-boxes fencing on the routes of movement of elephants will block the path of wild elephants preventing them from attacking humans and destroying farmers’ crops. Citing PM Modi’s call for ‘Sweet Revolution’, Kumar said that the project will provide self-employment opportunities to the unemployed youth of the country and increase the farmers’ income. The initiative of Re-Hab project will be run by KVIC at select locations for a period of one year, the statement added. Meanwhile, the industry body implemented a countrywide Honey Mission in the year 2018-2019 under the Khadi and Gramodyog Vikas Yojana. The beneficiaries under this scheme were provided with 10 bee-boxes, bee-colonies, and toolkits after completion of the beekeeping training provided by KVIC. Under the honey program in Uttarakhand a total of 7,120 bee-boxes, bee-colonies and toolkits, and other equipment were distributed to 712 farmers and unemployed beneficiaries. Out of these, 3,910 bee-boxes were distributed to 391 scheduled caste beneficiaries, 790 bee-boxes to 79 scheduled tribe beneficiaries, and 2,420 bee-boxes to 242 general category beneficiaries from the year 2018-19 to 2021-22. Importantly, KVIC has organised a Khadi India Pavilion at the India International Trade Fair (IITF) 2022. The pavilion exhibiting khadi garments and village industry products produced by khadi artisans in rural surroundings has registered a record sale of Rs 12.06 crore at the IITF. https://www.financialexpress.com/industry/sme/msme-eodb-kvic-launches-its-re-hab-project-in-nainital-to-reduce-elephant-attacks-on-humans-farmers-crops/2896279/