Tripura: Focus on research vision for TRESP 2.0
AGARTALA: (Tripura) State Institute of Public Administration & Rural Development (SIPARD) conducted a brainstorming session, advised by the World Bank, to develop evidence-based research studies in Tribal Affairs under the Tripura Rural Economic Growth and Service Delivery Project (TRESP). This session focused on identifying critical research areas to improve planning, policy formulation and the effectiveness of future tribal development interventions for the prospective TRESP 2.0.
SIPARD's mandate under TRESP includes conducting research related to tribal development. In the previous year, SIPARD put forth five research proposals; however, four of these were ultimately revised and submitted for approval to the World Bank. Sukanta Paul, Senior Research Officer and Deputy Project Director, represented the Tribal Welfare Department at the session, along with the Deputy Director from the Tribal Research and Cultural Institute.
During the brainstorming session, Paul encouraged SIPARD to persist with their research initiatives urging the preparation of comprehensive proposals that include precise objectives, methodologies, indicators and measurable outcomes. He stressed the integration of factors related to government interventions—such as hostels, educational institutions, and welfare schemes—as essential variables for assessing effectiveness in tribal regions.
The faculty at SIPARD presented various proposed research themes addressing issues like access to public infrastructure, health and well-being, education accessibility, and the development of primary sectors in tribal locales. These presentations set the stage for a collaborative discussion featuring specialists from multiple domains including agriculture, livestock and fisheries.
Key insights were provided by domain specialists: Sonali Laskar (IBSI Specialist), agriculture expert Subrata Shib, livestock expert Dr. Joydeb Majumder, fisheries expert B Hizom, and post-harvest expert Biplab Majumdar. They proposed ideas to enhance the proposed research framework. Notably, the importance of women's empowerment through Producer Groups as a vital research area for tribal livelihoods was emphasized by participants. Representatives from Deloitte suggested investigating sanitation, drinking water and concepts of village development to generate valuable evidence for future governmental programs.
Jiban Debbarma, a Tribal Development Specialist, underlined the necessity of studying tribal health services and traditional knowledge systems, while Subrata Shib urged SIPARD to focus their research on pressing development challenges faced by tribal communities. This evidence-based approach could streamline efforts for effective TRESP 2.0 implementation.
The session witnessed active contributions from nodal officers and program managers across various line departments including representatives from fisheries and livestock sectors. They collectively discussed the feasibility of preparing new research proposals for the next fiscal year alongside refining existing studies based on the feedback obtained during the brainstorming.
Ultimately, the meeting served as a critical platform for integrating institutional and technical insights on tribal research, focusing on generating actionable evidence rather than merely academic outputs. This would facilitate the identification of persistent gaps and evaluation of current tribal interventions and guide future development policies and programmes.
The brainstorming concluded with a vote of thanks from Dr Rajib Malakar of SIPARD observing that overall, the discussions were highly productive and promise to influence future tribal development strategies significantly.