Samagra Vikas Profile

Samagra Vikas, a registered non-profit Trust is founded in Bangalore in the year 1987 by a group of professionals committed to social action. The objectives of the trust include promoting, encouraging, assisting and sponsoring institutions working for the overall development of the society and for safeguarding public interest. Since the inception Samagra Vikas has been working on environment and development related issues. In last 15 years we have been working very closely with and supporting the activities of several grass root organizations including,

Vriksha Laksha Andolana, Sagara.
Uttara Kannada Parisara Samrakshana samithi
Snehakunja, Honnavara.
Samaja Parivartana Samudaya, Dharwad.
Nagarika Seva Trust, Guruvayanakere.

Samagra Vikas has also been associated with organizations, forums and voluntary institutions like Vartamana, Bangalore; CANE, Bangalore; Avinasha, Shimoga; Save the Western Ghats Movement, Karnataka; FEVORD-K, Mannu Rakshana Koota; Drug Action Forum, Dharwad; Alternate Communication Forum, New Delhi; Narmada Bachao Andolan; Centre for environment & Ecological studies, IISc Bangalore; Karnataka State Council for Science & Technology; and International Energy Initiative, Bangalore.

Samagra Vikas has organized various pubic awareness lectures, seminars, slide and film shows and workshops on environment, ecology, bio-diversity, developmental issues, grass root workers training and communication workshops independently or jointly with various associate organizations. Samagra Vikas has also undertaken studies and published reports on issues like Sharavathy Tail Race (STR) project and its environmental implications. Samagra Vikas has also filed public interest petitions in Karnataka High Court and Supreme Court opposing the STR project successfully.

Samagra Vikas has actively participated in movements like Save the Western Ghats march, Narmada Bachao Andolan, Save Kaiga Campaign, Save Sharavathy Valley struggle, Kittiko-Hacchiko campaign, Save Tungabhadra River struggle and many others. Currently Samagra Vikas has taken up issue of bio-fuels from non-edible oils and has joined hands with SuTRA of IISc for promoting the use of non-edible oils as bio-fuels.

A Glimpse of Samagra Vikas Bio-fuel Initiatives and Field Activities
in Karnataka

Shimoga District - Tadasa/ Agaradhalli villages:

Samagra Vikas has initiated Nursery raising activities engaging 2-3 persons and planting of 50000 pongamia and 30000 neem, 5000 jatropha, 2000 simarouba seedlings in 800 hectares of common land through Village Forest Committees. An oil extraction Rotary unit for pongamia is set up with crushing capacity of 0.5tonne seed / 8hrs. day at the cost of under Rs. 1 lakh, which is being run by Village people's committee. Seed collection activities will be carried through 175 Self Help Groups who will earn additional income of Rs. 5000/ per group per month for 2 months in a year.

About 150 tones of pongamia seed collection is expected in 2005, which will yield 50 tones of oil and 100 tones of cake (biomanure). This process is expected to generate economic activities of over Rs. 20 lakhs /year in the twin villages and provides direct employment for 6-8 persons throughout the year and 175 SHG's in raising nursery, plantation and seed collection activity for 3 months in a year.

The oil got will be sold at Rs. 2 below diesel price to villagers to run pump sets, small generators, and tractors. About half a dozen small local industries like flour mills that are presently running on diesel will switch over to pongamia oil. The cake obtained will be sold to farmers in the twin villages and the neighboring areas. These activities are a target in achieving a long-term objective towards "Shaktigram" concept - an energy self-reliant village.

In Jan. 05 Samagra Vikas successfully conducted a survey and documentation of identifying and marking 250 mother pongamia trees in Shimoga district under a project from the State Land Use Board. The seeds of these trees will be collected to raise nurseries of high yielding variety and supplied for mass plantations.
Similar activity is planned to collect jatropha seeds of local variety to raise nursery.

Raichur District - Sindhanur

At Sindhanur we have set up an Expeller unit for neem seeds of 1 Ton seed / day (8 hrs) crushing capacity along with a local Voluntary organization "Sahachara". There are over 75 Co-operative societies in Sindhanur taluk, which have been identified to act as seed collection centers.

A test or trial running of 5 Tractors/ 5 jeeps/ 5 pump sets/ 5 diesel engines for a year on neem oil blended with diesel will be carried on to see the short and long term effects of neem oil in diesel engines. Neem oil crushed in our demonstration unit will be supplied to the above users at a price of Rs. 2 below diesel price. The neem cake however has a great demand and is being sold through Co-operative Society network at Sindhanur.

This cycle of activities generates direct employment for over 6 - 8 persons and economic activity of Rs. 30 to 40 lakhs a year.

Tumkur District - Chelur

A district level field study was conducted on availability of non-edible oil seeds, quantity of oil extracted and cake sold and their market dynamics. This survey conducted provides a data on the number of existing non-edible oil mills in Tumkur, Kolar, Bangalore districts of Karnataka and Gudiyatham in Tamil Nadu. Their present oil extraction capacity and further expansion capabilities were documented. We have also compiled the addresses and contact details of the extraction units, traders, machinery manufacturers, and bio-diesel units for future reference.

Samagra Vikas has set up a demonstration unit at Chelur near Gubbi through an Entrepreneur. The Demonstration unit that is A Rotary of 40 - 60kgs/ day seeds crushing capacity. Running at half the capacity, the entrepreneur sells 60 kgs of pongamia oil and 200 kgs of cake a day and earns Rs. 8000/ pm after expenses and he has directly employed 2 persons. The Rotary unit is fueled by diesel blended with pongamia oil.

Samagra Vikas is working along with BAIF to carry out experimentation on agronomic practices on pongamia and jatropha at Tiptur.

Surveys and Field Studies conducting by Samagra Vikas

1. A Survey to find out the existing number of non-edible oil mills and their production capacity in Tumkur and Kolar Districts in Karnataka and
Gudiyattam in Tamil Nadu. Year 2003-04

2. A Survey to Identify Mother Pongemia Trees in Shimoga and Tumkur districts.
Project on Bio-fuels for Karnataka State Land Use Board, Jan. -Feb. 2005

3. A Survey of Neem, Pongamia and Simarouba Block Plantations in over 1000 acres of land in Koppal district, Jul.- Sept. 2005

4. Survey of Non-edible Oil Mills Machinery Manufacturer, their products and services across India.

Reports and Publications

1. "Honge" Paryaya Indhana
A handbook in Kannada on Pongamia for farmers on Economics of cultivation and extractions.

2. Potential Crops for Bio-fuels in India
(Pongamia, Jatropha, Neem, Mahua, Simarouba)
A Booklet on Description, Cultivation and Oil Extraction Methods.

3. REPORT " Bio-fuel"
Proceedings of the All India seminar on National policy on Non-Edible Vegetable Oils as Bio-fuel -published during the workshop jointly organized by Samagra Vikas and SuTRA, IISc,1-2 Feb. 2003.

4. Report on survey and Field study.
Identification of 250 Mother Pongamia Trees in Shimoga.
A Project on Bio-fuels for Karnataka State Land Use Board, Jan. -Feb. 2005