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Hans India
23-05-2025
- Hans India
Debrigarh best ecotourism destination: Sherpa Kant
Bhubaneswar: India's G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant hailed Debrigarh wildlife sanctuary as the 'best ecotourism destination' in the country. Kant, a former NITI Aayog CEO, visited Debrigarh on Wednesday and interacted with the forest officer and personnel engaged in the management of the wildlife sanctuary. 'I visited Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary @Debrigarh in Odisha today and was delighted to see the wonderful work done in terms of community participation. This is by far the best example of the local community operating and managing the ecotourism project,' Kant wrote on X, while sharing some pictures of his visit to the sanctuary. Later, he held a meeting with the local administration at Sambalpur. Speaking to reporters in Sambalpur, he said, 'I saw the wonderful work done by the DFO. I have visited all ecotourism projects across India, and Debrigarh is the best project.' The best part of the Debrigarh ecotourism project is the active involvement of the local community, he said. During his visit, Kant interacted with the community members of the Debrigarh ecotourism project and appreciated the model functioning in the wildlife sanctuary. Around 85 forest-dependent families are earning their livelihood from different ecotourism activities. Jungle Safari, Hirakud cruise, trekking, hiking, kayaking, storytelling sessions on wildlife and bird-watching activities are being organised by these community members for tourists, a forest officer said. Besides, 20 cottages for the night stay of tourists are available at Debrigarh, including six stargazing rooms with glass roofs. Each community member working at Debrigarh earns around Rs 13,000-15,000 per month. The officer said 40 per cent of those employed at the ecotourism site are women, and some are even in roles of safari drivers and guides. Habitat management work has strengthened the wildlife population with big herds of Indian Bison being slighted by tourists daily along with sambar, deer and bear. In the financial year 2024-25, Debrigarh earned the highest revenue among the ecotourism sites in Odisha, at Rs 5.11 crore, the officer said. According to ecotourism guidelines, 35 per cent of the revenue is shared among the local community as wages, 25 per cent is utilised for recurring expenses, 10 per cent for infrastructure development, 10 per cent for village development and 20 per cent goes to the corpus fund of the Forest department's wildlife wing for training and capacity building of community members, the officer said. So, 100 per cent of the revenue generated goes back to the community. This makes the local community a major stakeholder in ecotourism which strengthens protection and conservation of forest and wildlife.
New Indian Express
22-05-2025
- New Indian Express
Former NITI Aayog CEO Kant praises Debrigarh as model for community-led ecotourism
SAMBALPUR: Former NITI Aayog CEO and India's G-20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant visited the Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary here on Wednesday and lauded its ecotourism model as the best in the country. Kant engaged with community members involved in the ecotourism initiative and praised the grassroots-driven model that has transformed the lives of over 85 forest-dependent families, who are actively involved in activities such as jungle safaris, Hirakud cruise, trekking, kayaking and storytelling sessions on wildlife. Notably, each community member earns between Rs 13,000 and Rs 15,000 per month and 40 per cent of the workforce comprises women including female safari drivers and eco-guides. The sanctuary boasts of 20 tourist cottages, including six stargazing rooms with glass roofs, offering a unique overnight experience in nature. 'The DFO has done a commendable job in Debrigarh. I have seen almost every eco-tourism project in India, but the best one has been implemented here. The participation of the local community is the most impressive initiative. Considering the infrastructure development taking place in this area, it is necessary to increase the green cover here. If the efforts continue in this direction, Sambalpur can become the greenest district of India,' Kant said after the visit. He also shared his appreciation of Debrigarh's ecotourism initiative on social media platform X. 'I visited the Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary in Odisha today and was delighted to see the wonderful work done in terms of community participation. This is by far the best example of local community operating and managing the entire Ecotourism project. The credit goes entirely to a young lady Forest Service officer Anshu Pragyan Das for driving this. Amazing work!' he said in his post. Kant was accompanied by RDC (Northern Division) Sachin Ramchandra Jadhav, Sambalpur collector Siddheswar Baliram Bondar, Bargarh collector Aditya Goyal, SP Prahalad Sahai Meena and divisional forest officer (DFO), wildlife Anshu Pragyan Das. Notably, Debrigarh ecotourism recorded its highest-ever revenue of Rs 5.11 crore in 2024-25.
