JICA India Mission Reviews SCATFORM Project Activities in Tripura, Focuses on Sustainable Livelihoods and Ecological Restoration
By Our Correspondent
Agartala, May 13, 2026
A high-level delegation from the India office of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is currently on a three-day visit to Tripura from May 11 to May 13 to review the implementation and progress of the Tripura JICA Project, popularly known as SCATFORM, aimed at strengthening community-based livelihood generation and ecological restoration across the state.
The visiting delegation was formally welcomed at the Project Management Unit (PMU) in Agartala by Smt. Banumathi G, IFS, Chief Executive Officer and Project Director of the Tripura JICA Project. The JICA India Mission delegation comprises Ms. ITO Fumi, Project Formulation Advisor, and Ms. Nishtha Vengurlekar, Development Specialist, JICA India.
During the visit, the delegation held a detailed discussion with Tripura Forest Minister Animesh Debbarma regarding the progress of various interventions being implemented under the SCATFORM initiative. The Minister emphasized the importance of sustainable forest management and improving the socio-economic condition of forest-dependent communities in Tripura. He also stressed the need for extensive awareness campaigns to ensure wider community participation in conservation and livelihood activities.
As part of the field assessment, the JICA India Mission visited Gomati and Sepahijala districts and directly interacted with members of Self Help Groups (SHGs) and Joint Forest Management Committees (JFMCs) associated with the project.
In Gomati district, the delegation visited Omlak JFMC and Naharmabadal JFMC under Killa Range Management Unit (RMU). The team inspected several plantation sites developed under the project and also visited the Model-I Check Dam site, where they participated in a fingerling release programme aimed at promoting fishery-based livelihoods and water conservation.
The delegation further reviewed the honey bee cluster programme at Killa RMU, which currently involves five JFMCs and 12 SHGs, benefitting nearly 200 people. As part of the initiative, bee-keeping boxes were distributed among beneficiaries to encourage apiculture as an alternative source of income for rural households.
The JICA team also visited honey cluster villages and interacted with families engaged in beekeeping activities supported under the project. In addition, they met members of Sunlight SHG involved in piggery-based livelihood activities and Manthak SHG engaged in fishery-related income generation programmes.
In Sepahijala district, the delegation inspected the Model-III RCC Check Dam under Induria Beat, Melaghar RMU, and later visited Tarapadabari JFMC and a mushroom cultivation cluster under Charilam RMU. The mushroom cluster initiative has been developed to strengthen sustainable livelihood opportunities among rural communities, particularly women and self-help groups.
A major highlight of the visit was the inauguration of a souvenir shop at Sepahijala Zoo under the JICA Project in the presence of Shri RK Samal, IFS, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) and Head of Forest Force (HoFF), Tripura. The souvenir shop has been established to promote eco-tourism and showcase locally produced forest-based and handicraft items.
On Wednesday, the JICA India Mission is scheduled to visit the Bamboo Treatment Plant under the Subalsingh Bamboo Cluster in West Tripura district. The programme will include the distribution of bamboo jewellery-making kits among beneficiaries in collaboration with the Tripura Bamboo Mission (TBM), aimed at promoting bamboo-based entrepreneurship and skill development among local communities.
Following the field visits, the delegation will hold a debriefing meeting with the PCCF & HoFF, Tripura, to review the outcomes of the mission before concluding the visit and returning to New Delhi.
The SCATFORM Project, supported by JICA, continues to play a significant role in strengthening ecological restoration, sustainable forest management, rural livelihoods, women’s empowerment, and community participation in Tripura through a wide range of forestry and income-generation activities.
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