Kerala - Kozhikode   

Tribal people to be trained as guides

Special Correspondent

Project to enable them to earn a living

KOZHIKODE: A unique programme to train tribal people to enable them to earn a livelihood as tourist guides is being taken up as a pilot project in Wayanad. The scheme has been prepared by Centre for Heritage Studies in consultation with other agencies involved in tourism development in the State.

Under this scheme young tribal people would be put through a training programme that would teach them matters related to eco-tourism and history of Wayanad so that they would be able to make a living as tourist guides. This project will be launched on June 15 at Sulthan Bathery in Wayanad.

A batch of 15 tribal people would undergo the training in Sulthan Bathery for six months. They would be paid a monthly stipend of Rs.1,500, P.K. Gopi, Registrar, Centre for Heritage Studies under the State Government's Department of Culture, said on Saturday.

The training is expected to prepare them to work as tourist guides in tribal-dominated places.

The Eco-Tourism Department has sanctioned Rs.5 lakh to Centre for Heritage Studies for this project. KITTS, an agency under State Tourism Department, would provide the necessary guidance for the training programme.

The details of the programme were worked out during discussions held at the office of the Centre for Heritage Studies at Thripunithura in which Secretary General of the Centre K.K.N. Kurup, Director of Eco Tourism T.P. Narayanankutty, and Government Secretary for culture and tourism B. Venu participated.

It is the first tourism project in the State aimed at giving training to Adivasis to work as tourist guides. If it is successful, similar programmes are proposed to be taken up in Idukki, Kasaragod and Palakad districts also.

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