| Sanction Date: | 20.03.2025 | |||
| Project Category | SG | |||
| Year | 2024-2025 | |||
| Project Duration | 3 Years | |||
| BTA : | HW | |||
| Project Site/ State/ Districts/ Villages Covered: |
Nagar Panchayat Narkanda, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh |
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| Organization/ Implementation Agency: | Department of Biotechnology, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur-176061 (HP) | |||
| Project Partners: | S.No. | Name | ||
| 1. | Sh. Rajinder Chouhan, Project Officer, Urban Development Department Shimla, Himachal Pradesh-171002 | |||
| 2. | Sh. Rajneesh Chouhan, Secretary, Nagar Panchayat, Narkanda, Himachal Pradesh-171213 | |||
| Lead Proponent: | Dr. Aparna Maitra Pati |
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| Project Brief Description: | With its growing popularity as a tourist destination, Narkanda, a hill station in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, experiences a significant influx of visitors, leading to an increase in flourishing of hotels and homestays. This project proposes a sustainable solution by harnessing the power of beneficial microorganisms to efficiently decompose food/ kitchen waste into high-quality compost. Tourism, while boosting the local economy, exacerbates the problem by increasing food consumption and waste generation. Narkanda, like many other hilly regions, faces unique challenges in managing food waste due to its rugged topography and environmental conditions. Inadequate infrastructure for waste collection, segregation, and disposal, worsened by the increase in tourist activity, poses significant environmental and public health risks. Traditional composting methods are hindered by the cold climatic conditions, prolonging the decomposition process. To address these challenges, the project proposes a microbial approach to waste management. By introducing stress-tolerant microbial strains, specifically cold-tolerant bacteria sourced from diverse habitats including cold deserts, landfills, salt mines, and hot springs, the project aims to develop an effective consortium enriched with efficient plant growth-promoting bacteria, to accelerate the decomposition of food and kitchen waste into compost, even in cold climates. The project aligns with the principles of circular economy, where waste is transformed into valuable resources, promoting sustainability and resource efficiency. By converting food waste into compost, the project not only mitigates environmental pollution but also contributes to economic and social development. The bioformulation produced can be utilized to enhance soil fertility, thereby supporting agricultural productivity and promoting green practices in the region. | |||
| Beneficiaries/ Stakeholders: |
• Nagar Panchayat Narkanda, Narkanda, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh |
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| Activity Chart | ||||
| Total Grants (in Rs.) | Rs. 4,983,970/- (Rupees Forty-Nine Lakh Eighty-Three Thousand Nine Hundred Seventy Only) | |||
| Project Objectives | Quantifiable Deliverables | Monitoring Indicators |
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• To select microbial strain through biochemical characterization and enzymatic assay cellulase, (pectinase, laccase, lipase, and protease) for efficient degradation of food waste. • To formulate bioformulation tolerant efficient microbial using stress bacteria for bioconversion of food waste into good quality compost. • To fortify of compost into high quality bioformulation for crop improvement and its quality, toxicity and safety evaluation. • To generate economic benefits for locals through bioformulation business in response to high organic farming demand. |
• Identification of efficient microbial strains with enzymatic (pectinase, laccase, protease). • Development of consortia optimized for food waste degradation. • Production of enriched bioformulation and toxicity assessment reports. • Business model and training programs for local entrepreneurs. |
• No. of microbial strains successfully characterized and selected. • Quality assessment parameters; • Toxicity and safety evaluation results. • Amount of food waste processed. • Reduction in landfill waste. • No. of local entrepreneurs engaged. • Increase in organic farming adoption. • No. of research papers, technical reports, and policy documents published. |
| S.No. | Name (Sanctioned) | Salary (Sanctioned) |
| 1. | 01 SPF | @ Rs. 28000/ +9% HRA |
| 2. | Project Assistant | @ Rs. 18,000/ |
| S.No. | Name of Equipment (Sanctioned) | Cost (in INR) |
| 1. | NA | NA |
