In a significant step towards strengthening skill development, livelihood generation, and technology-enabled rural transformation in Bastar, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bhilai and the District Administration, Dakshin Bastar Dantewada, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on February 9 for the establishment of a Tribal Research and Innovation Park (TRIP) in Dantewada. The MoU was formalised in the presence of Professor Rajeev Prakash, Director, IIT Bhilai, and Devesh Kumar Dhruv (IAS), District Collector, Dantewada. The initiative aims to transform existing district infrastructure into a professionally managed Centre of Excellence (CoE) dedicated to tribal skill development, employment-oriented training, applied research, innovation, and enterprise promotion. Under the agreement, IIT Bhilai will serve as the academic and technical anchor, providing curriculum design, research integration, technology adaptation, and institutional guidance.

 

The District Administration will facilitate infrastructure support, community mobilisation, and inter-departmental coordination to ensure smooth and effective implementation. The TRIP initiative seeks to address structural employability challenges in the district by integrating industry-aligned skilling with entrepreneurship support and field-deployable technologies. Focus sectors include mining support services, agriculture and forest produce value addition, clean energy solutions, eco-tourism, and digital governance. The signing of the MoU builds upon IIT Bhilai’s participation in Bastar Navachar Mandai during Bastar Pandum 2026, where Bastar-centric technologies were showcased. These included battery-operated agricultural tools, solar-powered smart charging systems, portable cold storage units for forest produce, digital health kiosks, inclusive ATM solutions for last-mile financial access, and governance monitoring dashboards. Select technologies are proposed for phased implementation in remote and underserved areas of Dantewada. The initiative is expected to skill tribal youth, strengthen SHG-led enterprises, promote sustainable livelihoods, improve health, deploy efficient monitoring tools, and establish Dantewada as a regional hub for tribal innovation and workforce development. Professor Rajeev Prakash and Devesh Kumar Dhruv (IAS) described the MoU as a strategic milestone in building a sustainable, technology-enabled development ecosystem for Bastar region.