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Centre for studies in Rural Economy, Appropriate Technology and Environment (CREATE):

It has been set up to carry out socio –economic studies involving the students and the faculty members and disseminate the results to the development practitioners working in this region. It also provides the students with an exposure about the complex social dynamics of the region.

Introduction:


Center For Studies in Rural Economy, Appropriate Technology and Environment, CREATE in short was created in October 1999 by the governing body of St. Joseph's College, Darjeeling to operate as a full-fledged research unit of the college, keeping in mind the emphasis of Jesuit educational philosophy on the 4 Cs namely:

  • Commitment, Compassion, Competence, Conscientiousness

CREATE was conceived to narrow the gap between 'academic' exercises carried out as per the curriculum prescribed by the universities and the dark  'ground realities'. its vision involves 'protecting the communities and their environments' from the number of threats staring at them.

CREATE began its journey with a MoU signed in the workshop in political theory and policy analysis, with Indiana University, Bloomington, USA, in November 1999 to join the International Forestry Resources and Institutions (IFRI) Research Program. the program is run through participation of around 15 collaborating research centers spread all over the world.

Activities:

  • Study undertaken by CREATE in 2001-02 to investigate the marketing prospects of handloom and handicraft products from the eight states of North-East India under the sponsorship of NEDfi, Guwahati and coordinated by the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), New Delhi.
  • CREATE also got involved in carrying out a social cost benefit analysis of public-private partnership in re-greening of degraded revenue, private and forest land. It has been assigned  the role of the principal investigator to work with a team of experts from the University of South California, Los Angeles, USA, Indian Institute of Management -Ahmedabad, Indian Institute of Forest Management- Bhopal and IFRI, Indiana University-Bloomington, USA.
  • CREATE's vision of protecting the communities and their environment received a shot in the arm with it's recognition by the Planning Commission, Government of India, to become a part of its evaluation exercises. Programme Evaluation Organization (PEO) of the Planning Commission undertakes periodic evaluation of different development projects funded by both the Union and Central Government. PEO has identified CREATE to shoulder some responsibility of evaluating the Decentralised Training Programme for handloom weavers currently being operated by the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India. During the present phase of responsibility CREATE team will collect information on the financing of this programme in 60 weavers' societies spread over the states of West Bengal, Sikkim, Manipur and Meghalaya. A team of officials from PEO, led by Dr.S.P.Pal, Advisor, Planning Commission visited CREATE during 27th August - 1stSeptember 2003 to impart training to the field investigators.