Project Swarajya is a non-profit Non-Government Organisation registered under S.R.Act 1860, F.C.R. Act 1976 & 35 AC of Income Tax Act 1961 inter alia. Formed in 1988 with the basic objective of empowering the people art grass root level the organisation entered into 8th year of its existence in 1996-97. Despite the financial crunch the organisation undertook an increased volume of programmes & activities in the year under review in comparison with the previous year, true to its tradition. The year is also memorable for it witnessed a spate of inspection & evaluation by different government & non-government donor agencies in quick succession, which on the whole exerted a healthy impact on the personnel & style of functioning of the organisation

The Drug Deaddiction-cum-Rehabilitation Centre which was set up in the year 1992-93 in the wake of the infamous liquor tragedy of Cuttack ran for the 4th year in 1996-97 in collaboration with Ministry of Welfare, Government of India. In this year it provided treatment to a total of 294 patients belonging to different drug groups such as Opiate, Alcohol, Cannabis, Benzodiazepines and others & Multiple Drugs, out of whom 166 were detoxified in the indoor set up. As for the rate of success, 63% of the patients treated in the previous year (1995-96) and observed and followed up for one year were found to be in a totally drug free state. As in the previous years, the organisation conducted & partook in several outreach programmes such as seminar, workshop, training & health camps held in different parts of the State with the twin objective of creating a preventive awareness among the people in general and identifying & motivating the drug addicts & alcoholics for the treatment in the De-addiction Centre. So far the method of treatment was concerned the Cold Turkey method was scrupulously adhered to & was presented in different fora by our personnel for its critical evaluation.

The Coastal Community Development Wing of the organisation witnessed a visible spurt in its activities both on the front of ecology & development. The Turtle Excluder Device (TED) was popularised among the coastal fisherfolk especially the trawl owners/operators for protection of Olive ridley sea turtles. A National level Workshop for training & demontration of TED was held during 11th-14th November '96 at Paradip under joint aegis of Department of Fisheries, Orissa & Project Swarajya Cuttack in technical collaboration with NMFS, USA. Among other important activities for protection of sea turtles in this year, a video survey of mass death of Olive ridleys at Gahirmatha & depletion of turtle rookery at Rushikulya mouth, a successful canvassing for declaration of marine turtle sanctuaries at Gahirmatha, Devi river & Rushikulya river mouth areas, & extensive awareness generation programmes among the people accross the country.

The Fish Aggregating Device (FAD) which is an eco friendly & easy technique for enhancing the fish catch and the income of marine fisherman was successfully tried out in different coasts of Orissa, namely Sandhakud, Ghanagolia, Chandrabhaga & Kharinasi. Another appropriate technology of rural development that made a significant progress was the Paddy cum Fish Integrated Farming in water logged areas. The farmers in Jamboo, Marsaghai & Kujanga were provided with inputs like renovation of pond, paddy & fish seeds, the manure for paddy, fish feed etc. along with the technical guidance.

A programme of TRYSEM (Training of Rural Youth for Self Employment) was started at MFTI, Balitutha under Kujanga Block for 8 nos. of women trainees in such fishery trades as Dry fish making, Fish pickle making & Net weaving with effect from 1st march 1997 under joint collaboration of Project Swarajya & DRDA, Jagatsinghpur.

For imparting training in Fish Pickle Making which is a relatively new area of entrepreneurship on Orissa, 2 special Training Camps were held at Sandhakud , Chandrabhaga, each attended by 50 nos. of fisher women of the respective area.

The effort for Conservation of Endangered Marine Species was intensified during the year with priority given to Olive ridley sea turtles & Dolphins besides the Horseshoe crab & Mangrove eco system. An in depth exploration of the bio- rich Rushikulya mouth was undertaken with specific reference to the Olive ridley turtle rookery located there.

The National Environment Awareness Campaign-1996 with its theme" Women & Environment" was observed with all seriousness in collaboration with a sister NGO Basundhara. A programme of exposure & sensitisation was held for 100 women activists of Cuttack city on the issues of water pollution in Taladanda canal & Mahanadi & Kathajodi rivers, the 3 main water streams of the city. The women activists went round the city en masse & saw for themselves how these water streams were being polluted & in turn polluting the environment. Thereon a Seminar was held at Nimpur High School attended by distinguished resource persons from government & non-government sectors.

In collaboration with the Ministry of Environment & Forests, Government of India, the Eco vision, an autonomous wing of Project Swarajya formed Eco Clubs in 11 High Schools of Cuttack city with the objective of creating a sustainable creative platform of students & teachers for pursuing environment related activities. More of such Eco clubs are to be formed in other 19 High Schools of the city.

The organisation held a Seminar on Consumer Protection & Role of NGOs in December 96 which was attended by about 100 consumer activists & addressed by a host of resource persons from concerned Government Departments alongwith the Chairman State Commission for Consumer Grievances & Redressal.

The organisation conducted a survey of child labour in such localities as Sutahat, Patapol & Kesharpur in Cuttack city for the purpose of opening two special Schools for Child Labour for which the Ministry of Labour, Government of India had sanctioned 75% of the approved finance.

As in previous years, the organisation continued its anti-AIDS Awareness programmes among such vulnerable groups as Drug addicts, Sex workers, Transport workers, Barbers, Migrant labour, & Blood donors. It referred the suspected HIV positive cases to the Pathology Department of S.C.B. Medical College & Hospital, Cuttack.

The Documentation-cum-Dissemination Centre of the organisation continued to provide such services as reading, reference, news clipping & video & audio ,cassettes to the interested persons & at the same time added several new books, magazines, news letters & audio-visual material to its pre-existing stock.

Both Computer Unit & Videography Unit were upgraded to match the advanced requirments of the organisation. While the Mixure machine & Titler were added to the Videography Unit, the Windows '95 & alongwith Video blaster, Sound cards and Scanner were installed in the Computer systems. The organisation under took the videography & computerisation of the several programmes of NGOs & Government Departments on a subsidised basis & on the topics which were relevant to the ecological & social defence concerns of the organisation.

Among other programmes that were carried out by the organisation during the year, the mention may be made of the continuance of the R. T. D. T. (Rural Technology Demonstration & Training) Centre in collaboration with NRDC, New Delhi with the help of such equipment as Tara Loom, Leaf cup & plate making machine, Papad making machine & Balaram mud block press machine which were earlier provided by NRDC.

As in the previous years, the Road Safty Programme was undertaken by the organisation through awareness generation activities held from time to time as part of the other health related & environment related projects operating in the areas near National Highway. The Road Safety Week was duly observed too like in the earlier years.

The year of 1996-97 was a turning point for Project Swarajya, in the sense that it witnessed a qualitative transformation of the Organisation from an action group to a thorough going research body though retaining the Commitment and Dynamism that invariably characterize a cohesive group of social activists. The organisation strove in all possible ways to acquire professional excellence income of its important areas of work without however giving up its basic in-built structural ingradients such as organisational flexibility and a perennial readiness to take up any issue that may crop up at any moment having import for the social development in its widest sense of the term.

The year under review did also witness a tangible extention of the sphere of its activities in terms of both geographical spread and subject areas. There has been a perceptible growth in the involvement of the organisation with very many scientific and research bodies both in the Government and Non-Government sectors at home and abroad around the common issues of developmental and ecological significance. As a result of all this, the organisation has been immensely enriched with new knowledge and information not only around its ongoing projects but also appropriate technologies of innovative and creative nature.

Though the volume of activities and achievements has shown a leap forward, it has however mismatched visibly with the relatively scant material resources that the organisation had to remain contented with in the year under review. Being enthusiastically preoccupied as it was with the new and innovative ideas and technologies, the personnel of the organisation could not pay as much attention to the front of mobilisation of material resource as they otherwise should have.

The year under review was a momentus period of test and evaluation of performances of the organisation over the years not only by the government and other doner agencies but also by its own personnel. Though at lot of precious time had to be diverted to the strenuous and otherwise monotonous exercise of meeting the routine and emergent requisites of such evaluation & self-evaluation, such compulsive events exerted on the whole at sound and sobering impact on the organisation in terms of locating and grappling with the pr-existing loopholes.

Project Swarajya is a registered Non-Profit, Non-Government Organisation that was established on 1st of August 1988 by a group of Social Workers with the basic objective of serving as a change agent among the People at large in a positive direction retaining however all that is noble and wholesome in the time-honoured tradition and value-frame of our society, which is of course in a state of transition.

The Organisation is guided by its Memorandum and Rules and Regulations which inter alia pronounce the broad aims and objectives, and is managed by a properly constituted General Body of 8 members & an Executive Committee consisting of 3 members selected from among them. The accounts of the organisation have been being duly audited by the Chartered Accountant not only for each separate project but also for the entire volume of financial transactions in a year.

Specifically speaking, Project Swarajya has been registered under the following :-

1. Registered under the Society Registration Act 1860 in the Office of the IGERC, Orissa, Cuttack-2 on 9th January 1989. The registration number-1953/29.
2. Registered under Foreign Contributions Regulation Act 1976 by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India on 25.06.1991.
3. Notified Under 35 AC of Income Tax Act 1961 by the National Committee under Department of Finance, Government of India for the purpose of exemption of public donation from Income Tax. Notification No. 399(K) dated. 6th June 1996.
4. Empanelled by Department of Planning & Co-ordination, Government of Orissa as a consultancy evaluating agency in certain specific fields since 24th November, 1990.
5. Membership of District Natural Calamities Committee Cuttack since 1990.
6. Recognised as an RTDT (Rural Technology Demonstration & Training) Centre by NRDC (National Research & Development Corporation), New Delhi since 5th October 1992.
7. Recognised as a Consumer Voluntary Organisation by the Dept. of Food and Civil Supplies, Government of Orissa.
8. Affiliated to IUCN Northern Indian Sea Turtle Conservation and Research Group.
9. Empanelled by V.V.Giri National Labour Institute Ghaziabad for the purpose of joint collaboration on issues of Child Labour.

The year 1996-97 was the fifth year of existence of the Drug Deaddiction Centre, which was set up in the later part of 1992-93 as an upgradation of the pre-existing Drug Counselling Centre, in the wake of the infamous Liquor Tragedy of May 1992. The Centre has been running under the Central Sector Scheme of Financial Assistance to Voluntary Organisation for Prohibition and Drug Abuse Prevention as administered by the Ministry of Welfare, Govt. of India.

The Centre, well equipped with adequate professional manpower and infrastructure provided both indoor and outdoor treatment free of cost to the persons affected with drug and substance abuse. They belonged to the different parts of the State & country, as well as different walks of life. About sixty percent of the patients belonged to the areas of Cuttack Municipal Corporation, itself as this is the only Centre providing drug de-dependence services in the area. The Centre provided Detoxification and Rehabilitation services to the affected as a part of total care. Primary preventive measures in the form of mass awareness and awareness of specific target groups like school children, transport workers, health professionals and other vulnerable sections were undertaken both routinely and as and when necessary. Assisting and collaborating with the Medical and Police Institutions in the matter of organising seminars, workshops and training camps on the subject was a good source of new knowledge and information on the subject.

Formation and consolidation of self help groups and recruitment of the voluntary aftercare workers from amongst the "cured" to help ex-drug takers living in the same locality as anchor persons helped us reach out to and have feedback from the field. The Centre has recorded observations on various methods of detoxification with informed consent of clients and their guardians. Cold Turkey method of Detoxification provided insight in to culturally accepted, clinically sound and cost-effective method. A paper dealing with this method was presented at, National Conference of Indian Psychiatric Association held on Jan 5-8, 1996 at Kanpur. Bupre Norphine Detoxification and Maintenance as strategy for Harm Reduction is being evaluated for the "narcotic syringe cult patients". Mirror therapy is adopted regularly as an alternative insight therapy in the Centre. Yoga session for inmates and attendants as well as for other interested staff provides an edge to the endeavour of total care. Organising of "Clin1cal Tours" from time to time for the drug addicts to the Wards of Tuberculosis (Cancer and Cirhhosis in nearby S.C.B. Medical College and Hospital provided an excellent exposure to them on the hellish future of Drug Dependents. Such tours particularly influenced the young impressionable drug addicts about the futility of clinging on to the deliberate self harm style of life.

Interaction with world bodies, specialised Institutions and key persons across the country in the field of Drug De-Dependence services updates our knowledge. It further strengthens our commitment and serves as a deterrent to the Burn-out Syndrome encountered in the process of caring for the persons with multiple relapses. The training in and liaison with premier institution like All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi and rapport with personalities from North East, Gujurat, Rajasthan, Punjab and South States also helped us in this respect. Personal contact with staff, and intense interaction and cooperation with other Deaddication Centres of the State did also yield positive results. Management of 'Centre Hoppers' and evolving joint strategies for relapse prevention were addressed effectively through such multilateral exchanges.

New Patients Treated in the Drug Deaddiction-cum-Rehabilitation Centre of Project Swarajya at Cuttack during 1993-97

Indoor patients treated at Project Swarajaya Deaddiction-cum-Rehabilitation Centre during the period 1993-97

C. Overall success in the form of total Drug free State after 1 year follow up and observation: 173 out of 275, that is 63%.

The year saw decline of Opioid Dependents among the patient population. Rise of minor tranquillisers Benzopdiazepines and Hypnosedatives like Nitrazepam group of drugs remain significant. Multiple or Poly Drug abuse continued almost at same pace-Alcohol, Cannabis and Heroin dependents simultaneously or at nonavailablity of any of these. Rise of the syringe cult from 2.5% to around 12.15% of Opioid and Benzopiazepine dependents taking Burprenorphine/ Diazepam Lorazepam injections did alarm us. Almost all were sharing needles and were sent for ELISA test to the local Medical College and Hospital. All samples proved negative for seropositivity to our relief.

The Centre received adequate administrative support from local authorities as well as police department. Education and training programmes in National Police Academy and Orissa Police Academy, All India N.C.C. Camps, Youth Festivals and College meetings as well as Public Awareness Campaign and celebration of National days became highly productive. Rehabilitation efforts in family setting and social sphere were very much successful. What we lacked was adequate infrastructure and setting for vocational rehabilitation of the deaddicted persons. Many a youth with Drug abuse problem still faced stigma of "junkie" attached to them and locals and former employers seemed reluctant to accept them back. Few were employed at the NGO set-up for a brief period till they became confident enough for self employment with family support.

In the present setting reinforcing Host factor and Demand Reduction are the main thrusts. "Chandan vish vyapat nahin, Lapterahat Bhujang." (Transform yourself to that of purity like sandal wood, that does not turn poisonous in spite of venomous snakes continuing to adhere to it) is our motto in the Centre. Yet poisons still trickle in the form of heroin across the nation to reach to the nook and corner of our locality. Double standards rgarding prohibition of alcoholic beverages in the face of revenue earnings continue to put young minds in double bind situations, that confuses and allures the youth for easy lifestyles and easy virtues. Culture specificity in accepting cannabinoids and religious celebration have their own impact. Few "modaks", aurvedic preparations containing cannabis Datura - stramonium, nonspecific roots and barks and inorganic matter still explode minds in their psychotomimetic grip. Worst perceptions are of abuse of nitrazepam, dextropropoxyphene, ibubrufen, pronethazine and buprenorphine injectables, mostly iatrogenic dependence that alarm us around. Abuse of Alprazolam among professionals taking these for yeas prompt us to exclaim -Physician, Heat thyself!

Dropouts from treatment remain under 5% and deaths under 2%. Few left the substance abused and were recovering physical comorbidity like kidney and chronic and endocarditic caught hold of them ending their lives.

One has to view the negative aspects with detachment and resolve to move ahead. Each of us can contribute and each of us must try in the struggle against Drug menace.

The Organisation has already opened a Special School for Child labour in collaboration with Commonweal Centre at Manisahoo Chhak, Cuttack for 50 working children of both sexes engaged in hazardous occupations. All other Special School of the similar strength is already scheduled to be opened at Cuttack. The Ministry of Labour, Government of India have agreed to provide the 75% of the approved finance for running these Special Schools.

The Special School which remains open form 7 a.m. daily morning to suit the time schedule of the working children provides such other services as supplementary nutrition, vocational training and guidance, primary health care and cultural-recreational; facilities to the enrolled children besides functional literacy. The whole objective behind the Special School is to bring about an integrated development of their personality so as to wean them away from hazardous occupations and provide them with better and more humane avenues of life.

The children were enrolled on the basis of a household survey conducted ill SutMhat and Pattapole areas in Cuttack City co-inciding with the National Survey of Child Labour, which was going on in every district of the country under the direction of the Hon'ble Supreme Court. A Seminar was also held on 14th of April 1997 at Hadi Bandhu High School Cuttack on the status of child labour at Cuttark under the joint aegis of Project Swarajya and Commonweal Centre and attended by distinguished, dignitaries like Sri Anadi Sahoo M.P. Smt. Bijay Laxmi Sahoo, Minister of State for Women and Child Development, Orissa, Smt. Sabitri Choudhury, Chairperson, State Social Welfare Advisory Board, Orissa and Sri Rama Chandra Khuntia, a veteran trade Union leader of the State.

A video survey of child labour in Cuttack City was presented to the participants along with a Poster Exhibition on issues of child labour in India.

As is well known, Project Swarajya has been serving as a Documentation-Cum-Dissemination Centre inter alia on Consumer affairs since about half a decade. As in earlier years, the organisation has solved nearly 20 consumer grievances through mutual negotiation in stead of sending them to the Court.

With an objective of building up a network of Consumer Voluntary Organisations, a State level Seminar on Consumer Protection was held at Cuttack in December '96 under the joint aegis of Project Swarajya and Sabuja Prakalpa. The Seminar was attended by 100 representatives from concerned Government agencies and NGOs and addressed by Hon'ble Sri P.C. Mishra, Chairman of the State Consumer Grievances and Redressal Forum and Sri K.N.Jena, Advocate and President, Orissa Consumer Association among others.

The Department of Civil supplies and consumer Affairs, Government of India has in the meanwhile sanctioned a one-time project for holding of Consumer Workshops in various places of the State for training the social activists on legal-administrative procedure for solving the consumer grievances.

Ecovision, an autonomous wing of Project Swarajya has started a concerted drive to form Eco-clubs in selected 31 High Schools of Cuttack City with teachers and students of the school as members with the objective of creating an organised platform for their active participation in the environment-related programmes. Sponsored by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Govt. of India, the Eco-clubs have already been formed in 11 schools of Cuttack City, namely :-

1. Emarti Devi Girl's School.
2. Bhakta Madhu Bidyapitha
3. P.M. Academy
4. Praticing Girl's School
5. Ranihat High School
6. Revenshaw Collegiate School
7. Buckley Girls' High School
8. Govt. Girls' High School
9. Board of Secondary Education High School
10. Badambadi New Colony High School.
11. Municipality Girls' High School

Besides regular holding of meetings on topics relating to environment protection there is a proposal to undertake a programme of campus plantation in the coming monsoon with the active role of the students, teachers and staff of each School.

The NEAC 1996 was observed throughout the country by the NGOs sponsored by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India its theme being Women and Environment. Project Swarajya took up the water pollution of Taladanda Canal and Mahandi and Kathajori rivers as the principal issue facing the population in the city of Cuttack and the role of women in minimizing its cause and impact. About 100 women activists of the city belonging to different NGOs were mobilized to participate in the campaign actively. On 15th September 96 a mass rally of women activists was held, which went round the city and its adjoining areas and saw for themselves how did Taladanda canal was being polluted in so many ways and consequently polluting the waters of kathajodi river and also how the poisonous effluents of Jagatput Industrial Estate were contaminating the waters of Mahanadi River. The women activists did also interview the people particularly the women, aged and children who testified to the fact of they themselves and their cattle being affected adversely by the pollutants and polluted water, air and soil. In the afternoon of the same day a Seminar was held in the premises of Niompur High School, Jagatpur, which was addressed interalia by such dignitaries as ex-D.G. Orissa Police, Shri. R.M.Pattnaik, CDMO, Cuttack, Shri Bansidhar Sahoo, Environmentalist Dr. Ashutosh Devta, S.P. (Crime Branch) Cuttack Shri. B.N.Hota. After threadbare discussions it was felt that concerted and co-ordinated efforts by both Govt. and Non-Govt. agencies be made to solve the much tangled and persistent problem of water pollution in the city.

The turtle Excluder Device is a cheap and easily constructed device which is fitted to the trawl net during sea fishing so as to help the accidentally entrapped sea turtles escape the net through its exit hole while retaining the fish catch. This device which is already popular in different countries including USA, not only protects the turtle from its accidental drowning in the trawl net but also saves the trawl nets from the damage being caused by such accidental drowning of sea turtles.

As is well known, the Orissa Coast in India has the World's largest rookery of Olive ridley sea turtles at Gahirmatha of Bhitarkanika. Rushikulya Mouth in Ganjam District of Orissa is another major nesting ground of Olive ridleys next to Gahirmatha. Besides there are several sporadic nesting grounds of sea turtles all along the Orissa Coast. It has been observed that, there is a large scale mortality of sea turtles caused by indiscriminate trawl fishing in the areas around the nesting grounds, especially when their mating, nesting and hatching take place.

Project Swarajya in collaboration with UNDP New Delhi started a project since May 1996 with the objective of popularizing the use of Turtle Excluder Device in Orissa Coast.

Three important turtle populated coasts of Orissa were taken up as areas of focus for this project, namely Talchua of Dhamra Mouth, Paradeep of Mahanadi Mouth and Ganjam of Rushikulya Mouth.

As a part of this Project, a Workshop-cum- Demonstration of TED was held at Paradeep from 11th to 14th Nov.1996 under the joint auspices of Department of Fisheries, Orissa and Project Swarajya in technical collaboration with NMFS, USA. In this Workshop the net binders and local artisans were trained in the manufacture and maintenance and repair of the Georgia Model TED. The trawl owners/operators were also given a practical demonstration of TED operation in the sea, about 20 kms. off Paradeep coast. With an objective of developing a love for the sea turtles among the fisher men community in the concerned coastal areas, Essay and Drawing competitions were held among the school children and prizes awarded. Public meetings were also held in the Coastal areas to spread the awareness for protection of sea turtles in general and for the use of TED in particular.

While the Project on TED was going on in full swing there was a reported incident of mass death of sea-turtle. in Gahirmatha Coast. Project Swarajya made a Video survey of this tragic incident, which was telecast on DoorDarshan and published in various National and local Newspapers. A wide scale propaganda of this issue led to a heated debate in Orissa assembly and in consequence to an, increased alertness on the part of all concerned for protection of Olive ridley sea-turtles in Orissa Coast. Project Swarajya presented a memorandum to the Prime Minister for adequate safeguard of turtle rookeries in Orissa Coast as a result of which Gahirmatha, Devi mouth and Rushikulya mouth have been reportedly declared as marine turtle sanctuaries by the State Government of Orissa.

Following this declaration such measures as ban of fishing in the areas of 20 kms. Sea-ward radius from the aforesaid 3 turtle rookeries during the significant period from November to May every year and compulsory use of TED by the trawlers have been envisaged to be implemented by the State Government.

In the workshop on TED held at Paradeep from 11th to 14th November it was recommended that a country-wide campaign for introduction of Turtle Excluder Device for the trawl nets should be undertaken by the united effort of all concerned. In pursuance of this mandate Project Swarajya has already formulated an action plan of campaign for protection of sea-turtles in all the nine maritime States and 5 Union Territories in collaboration with UNDP and other Government and Non-Government agencies.

The Fish Aggregating Device, popularly known as FAD is a cheap and easy device constructed out of ordinarily available materials, which on installation inside the sea helps the various fish populations aggregate around it and thereby encourage the fishermen especially the country boat owners to fish in from the surrounding areas instead of going for random search for fish scant and uncertain results.

Project Swarajya had made its first experiment on FAD off Light House point in Mahanadi river mouth area in the year 1994-95 through the agency of Sandhakud Primary Marine Fishermen's Co-operative Society, which had made a resounding success in terms of remarkably increased fish yield from the FAD zone compared to non FAD zone. Being encouraged by the success of the maiden trial of FAD the fisherman community in various places of Orissa Coast wanted the similar device for their respective areas. In deference to their urge Project Swarajya carried out a pilot project for introduction of FAD in Orissa Coast in 1996 in technical collaboration with Directorate of Fisheries Orissa and with financial assistance from CAPART, New Delhi. Under this project the FAD was installed in four places in the sea, namely Ghanagolia, Sandhakuda, Chandrabhaga and Kharinasi covered under Jagatsinghpur, Puri and Kendrapara Districts. The fishing results from all the FAD zones were monitored for at least 6 months and compared with that of the corresponding non-FAD zones. The comparative analysis showed that the fish catch from the FAD zone on an average gave an increase of fish catch and income over the results of the non-FAD zone.

Thanks to the successful trial in Orissa Coast, the Fish Aggregating Device is now an established fishing technology replicable in other coasts of the country. The increasing demand for FAD for installation in different coasts is now felt basically for two reasons, firstly to help the fishermen catch more fish per unit of time and effort and, secondly to lessen the overcrowding of fishing boats in the near-shore waters by encouraging them to go into more distant and deeper areas of the sea and thereby protect the bio-rich but fragile ecosystems of coastal areas.

Project Swarajya has started a pilot project for Integrated Paddy cum Fish Farming in selected areas of coastal Orissa, where prolonged water logging and consequent salinisation of soil is a big problem to the farmers. About 9 farmers belonging to Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur Districts were assisted by Project Swarajya in terms of input like renovation of the Paddy cum Fish pond, paddy and fish seeds, fertilizer, fish feed etc. for taking up integrated paddy cum fish farming in their respective plots of land which were either waste land or rain fed one crop land.

The Project was funded by CAPART, New Delhi and technical collaboration extended by the officials of the Fisheries Department.

The most of the farmers, who bore the responsibility of watch and ward of their respective farms throughout and followed up the instructions of the experts were really benefitted in terms of increased yield of paddy and fish. Some farmers did also cultivate vegetable on the banks of the ponds.

The Project has become sustainable in the sense that the farmers did not invest further money on renovation of land and construction of ponds which have been completed during the project period. They may have to spend small sums of money only for minor repair as and when necessary. And moreover the farmers can start poultry or duck culture in the farms without any new infrastructural investment.

The models of paddy-cum-fish integrated farming which have developed out of the pilot project are now replicable in other areas of coastal belt where salinisation caused by prolonged water logging is a big problem.

A programme of TRYSEM was started with effect from 1st March 1997 in the 3 trades of net weaving, fish drying in racks and fish pickle making at Marine Fisheries Training Institute (MFTI) Balitutha under Erasama Block in Jagatsinghpur district. The Programme is financially assisted by DRDA, Jagatsinghpur and technically supervised by the Assistant Director of Fisheries (Marine) Kujanga. The building and infrastructure at MFTI, Balitutha that are used for the programme have also been provided by the Directorate of Fisheries, Orissa.

The programme aims at developing the skill of the trainees in such a way as they would be enabled to earn their livelihood from an enterprise around any of the above mentioned trades.

There is a proposal to start another programme of TRYSEM on a bigger scale for the fishermen community at the same place in the year 1997-98.

The Fish pickle is a relatively new article of consumption for the people of Orissa, except for the fact that it is to some extent popular among the Telugu speaking fishermen community living in certain pockets of coastal Orissa. However having realized the potential for its increasing popularity among the general people in years to come and also its tremendous demand at present in the markets of other States of India and abroad Project Swarajya under took training programmes in the fish pickle making for the women of fishermen community at Sandhakud, Paradeep and Chandrabhaga, Konark. 50 fisher women of the local area attended each training camp. The master trainer for each camp was provided by ODA-BOBP Post Harvest Fisheries Project, Madras. The women trainees are now in a position to start small scale enterprise in Fish-Pickle-Making either individually or collectively in the form of a Co-operative or Self-Help Group.

Project Swarajya is committed to the cause of conservation of rare and endangered flora and fauna, especially of marine and and bracfish water eco systems of Orissa Coast since its inception. As is well known the organization las in the past done necessary ground work covering the entire Orissa Coast for surveying the floral and fauna wealth and for disseminating the same across the public at large. The specific mention may be maid of the mangrove forests, blue blooded horseshoe crab, live ridley turtles, dolphins and coral meets.

The new findings about the ecology of horse shoe crabs along with the discovery of anew species in Orissa Coast by Project Swarajya got wider publicity among the concerned scientists not only across the country but abroad as well. The campaign against degradation farming and illegal fishing in sensitive places like turtle rookeries at Gahirmatha or Wetland of Chilika was continued in full vigour by the organization taking the help of various Government and Non-Government organizations and print and electronic media. Another important feature of this campaign was the issue of conserving the sea dolphins in Orissa Coast. The sea dolphins whose population in Orissa Coast is get to be studied were found dead in enmasse along with the Olive ridley sea turtles at Gahirmatha Coast in March 1997. Project Swarajya made a video survey of this tragic imideat and arranged for its wide circulation through both print and electronic mass media. Thanks to active participation of Project Swarajya personnel in the Northern Indian Ocean Sea Turtle Workshop held in January and National Workshop on Wetlands at Chilka in February 1997 which were attended among others be several foreign delegates, we have been able to form a network with foreign conservationist groups for support to the cause of conservation of rare and endangered marine life in Orissa Coast. In fact the exchange of information and experience on issues of common interest between our organization and Foreign agencies has already made a grod start, to be followed up and strengthened in the subsequent period.

In order to mobilize the local communities who are ideally the best watch and word personnel for the endangered species in their respective areas of coast, Project Swarajya linked up the issued of coastal ecology to the programmes of coastal community development and also to the trial of different appropriate technologies meant for the development of their trade and profession.

The Coastal Community Development Wing has been functioning since 1993-94 with the objective of implementing the projects relevant to the community development and safeguard of the ecology in the coastal areas of Orissa State. Earlier the co-ordination of the activities of this wing was being conducted from the head-quarters the Project Swarajya at Kesharpur, increasing participation of the local communities especially the fisherman in various programmes of the wing, it was felt necessary to set up a center of co-ordination at a place nearer Paradeep, the major coastal has been established in the year at Bimala Bhavan, Silipur, Marshaghai in Kendrapara district. It is located on the side of the Daitari-Paradeep National Express High way, at a distance of only 20 kms from Paradeep and 15 kms. From the district head-quarters of Kendrapara. The office building consists of 4 living rooms including 1 hall. The building has been constructed in such a way as to provide training facility to groups of people in different trades like Fisheries, Computer and garment making. The office building though ready in all respects is yet to be made functional.

As is well known Project Swarajya has been running a full fledged Videography Unit since 1994 with the objective of video documentation of various social welfare and research and development projects as implemented by the organization and other Govt. and Non-Govt . agencies in this State. With the help of Mixer AVE 5 and Videonics Titler 2000 it is now possible to mix and give effect to video, audio and titles in the production of video documentaries for various purposes.

The organization in the year under review did also acquire a complete Multi media PC with its advanced capacity for editing and titling of video cassettes in fullest sense of the term.

Among the important assignments that the organization undertook in the year on this front, the mention may be made of the Poll campaign in Athagada and Banki segments of Cuttack Lok Sabha Constituency, the 4-day Workshop-cum-Demonstration on Turtle Excluder Device during 11-14 November 1996 at Paradeep, the Video survey of mass death of sea turtles at Gahirmatha and the nesting and hatching of turtles at Rushikulya rookery, assistance provided to BBC Natural History Unit, Bristol, U.K. in filming of the turtle hatching at Rushikulya rookery, the programmes of NEAC by different NGOs and the like.

It has been the persistent effort on the part of the Organisation to provide a free-of-cost training facility to the poor but interested candidates in videography so as to help them be self employed in this modern trade. In the year under review a total of 5 nos. of boys and girls were trained in videography by the organization with three of them being provided with stipend. All the trainees have been self employed with the help of organization.

The organization has been running a computer unit since 1992 not only for the purpose of documenting its own programmes and activities but also that of other NGOs, Government agencies and mediamen on a highly subsidized basis. The unit is now equipped with 4 computer systems with two of them having multi media facilities. All the systems have latest DTP software under MS Office and WP 6 under Windows 95. The interface between computer and video having been installed, it is now possible on our part to edit the video cassette through multi media computer in respect of video, audio, title, wipe and effects.

Like the videography unit the computer unit also provides free of coast training facility to the poor but interested candidates round the year. In the year under review a total of 5 such candidates were given the training in operation of computer system especially in the softwares like Wordstar, Word Perfect and MS Word.

The organization has been maintaining a Documentation-cum dissemination Centre since its inception in 1989 with the avowed objective of documenting indepth material on the topics of interest to the organization and also on topics in selected fields that are of interest to the welfare agencies in the govt. and private sector and also to the scholars engaged in the research around social welfare issues.

At present the Centre is equipped with a library of more than 5000 titles of books and about 250 magazines and periodicals. The Centre also maintains news clippings from national and local news papers covered under 20 heads for the purpose of reference by the personnel of the organization & other outside agencies. The Centre has a rich repository of bibliographical collection such as Encyclopadia Britannica, Encyclopaedia of Life Sciences Countries of the World, Annual Reports of different Ministries & scientific & academic institutions at national levels, and news letters & reports of various development agencies of United Nations. With the installation of multi media soft wares the the Centre has now started a library of educational CDs for the purpose of own use by the organization & for reference by other interested group & individuals. Among the important educational CDs now available with the Centre the mention may be made of Encyclopaedia Encarata 97, DK Science Encyclopaedia, Guinness Encyclopaedia, Comptons new Century Encyclopaedia Explorpedia of Nature, The Animals of San Diego Zoo and National Parks of America. The Centre also provides information on various subjects in the form of not only books, magazines but also computer print out, CD clippings,Video & Audio cassettes Slides & photographs to the persons & organizations who so ever are genuinely interested. The Center provides in-house reading facility for maximum of 10 members at a time. The readers if interested can take the photocopy of the relevant extracts of the books & magazines etc. from the Reprography Division of the organization against a subsidized payment on request. The organization out of its deep concern for disseminating the message & information around different environmental issues organizes exhibition of video cassettes, posters and pamphlets on important occasions. In the year under review the mention may be made of the exhibition at Baliyatra Festival held at Paradeep, Workshop on Turtle Excluder Device held at Paradeep, and Utkal Divas at Cuttack.

As is well known, Project Swarajya is working for the De-addiction of the vulnerable intravenous and intramuscular drug abusers in the De-addiction Centre at Cuttack, and thereby helping them in the matter of prevention of AIDS attack. Besides the Organisations has been working among the marine fishermen community, the port workers and truckers in the places of Paradip, Gopalpur, Ganjam and Chandabali or Orissa coast and conducting AIDS awareness programmes for them intermittently. As a matter of fact, AIDS awareness is an important constant component of various health related and environment related programmes held in these places from time to time. Inspite of our persistent efforts at prevention of AIDS in these areas through the awareness programmes, there has not been much impact felt in the day to day practices on the front of AIDS prevention. What we need is an exclusive organized package of creative programmes round the year involving the vulnerable groups.

As in previous years the organization observed the Road Safety week of the year with involvement of NGOs, Students, Youth, Truckers, Transport workers and Mediamen. Since the organization is working in the places that are touched by the National Highway in the coastal Orissa and these places are accident prone, the Road Safety is a constant and common component of the various awareness programmes conducted by the organizations in these areas from time to time.

Project Swarajya is recognised as a Rural Training cum Demonstration of Technology Centre by National Research and Development Corporation (NRDC) New Delhi since 1993. The organization has been supplied with such technologies as Tara Loom, Balaram Mud Block Press Machine, Papad making machine and Leaf cup and plate making Machine for the purpose of training and demonstration. Tara Loom has been installed at Tapobhumi in Nayagarah District, Balaram Mud Block press Machine at Tarpur in Jasgatsinghpur District, and Papad making, and Leaf cup and plate making Machines at Samadhi Patana in Cuttack City. As a result of demonstration of these innovative technologies several hundreds of men and women belonging to poor and destitute socio-economic background have been benefited in terms of increased income and self-employment.