Nainital

Nainital: Fostering Community-Led Growth and Innovation

Nainital district is a testament to the power of community-driven development, with initiatives focusing on women’s empowerment, environmental conservation, and sustainable livelihoods. From innovative cafes to robust waste management, Nainital is creating a model for holistic rural progress.

Best Practices

• Democracy Café: Operated by SHG women of Samarpan CLF, Ramgarh block, under the NRLM initiative, this café in Ghodakhal promotes voter awareness among youth and locals. It empowers rural women through sustainable entrepreneurship, generating an average annual income of ₹11.20 lakh. The success of this café highlights the combination of livelihood generation with civic engagement. Replication is planned for Kotabagh and Garampani.

  

  

  
  
• Forest Fire Prevention Program: NRLM SHG women, trained by the Forest Department, collected 5,800 quintals of pine needles, earning ₹2.80 lakh. This initiative significantly helped prevent forest fires and earned the women certificates during the Harela Festival. An exposure visit was held in Hawalbagh on bio-briquette making from pine needles, and a plan is underway to set up a bio-briquette unit under the REAP scheme.

  

  

  

  
  
• Sports Field (MNREGA): Sports fields are being developed under Rural Development initiatives to promote youth engagement, with additional infrastructure like helipads and mini-stadiums constructed under MGNREGA. Each field is completed within a year with a budget of ₹5 lakh, enhancing rural infrastructure and encouraging sports culture. Sixteen sports grounds are proposed, with 10 completed through convergence with MNREGA, Vidhya Nidhi, and state finance commission funds.

  

  

  

  
  
• Cluster Approach Development: Twelve clusters have been identified based on baseline surveys, with work in progress on three initial clusters: Bay-leaf Cluster, Dairy Cluster, Horticulture Cluster, and Vegetable Cluster. These clusters involve 540 initiated works and 1,554 beneficiaries.

  

  

  

  
  

Proposed Game Changer Schemes (FY 2025-26)

• Virasat Project (Homestays): This project identified 60 traditional houses across Nainital district for renovation into homestays, to be operated by SHG women and promoted under the ‘Baakhli’ brand with Tourism Department support. The aim is to boost women’s income, create rural employment, preserve Kumaoni architecture, and showcase local cuisine, crafts, and folk culture. Training and capacity building are planned for SHG members.

  

  

  

  
  
• Plastic Waste Park – NRLM: This project, to be undertaken by Jim Corbett CLF involving 1,000 SHG members, includes a work shed, floriculture, selfie point, eco-gate, café, and outlet made from plastic waste. It promotes tourism, waste reuse, and a circular economy, boosting livelihoods and eco-awareness.

  

  

  

  
  
• Honey Bee Park (Proposed): This park aims to promote tourism, recreation, and botanical exploration, focusing on native bee (Apis mellifera) conservation. It will include education, research, and community engagement, boosting SHG income through bee-based products and supporting the Hilans shop for local product sales.

  

  

  
  

Visual Journey

• Saras Fair (NRLM): The Saras Mela 2025, held from March 1-10, 2025, featured over 250 stalls, including 117 from Uttarakhand, 74 from other states, and 59 commercial/departmental stalls. The event honored the top 3 SHGs with the highest sales and recorded ₹5 crore in total sales.

  

  

  
  
• Black Pottery (NRLM): The Bamni SHG in Kotabagh, Nainital, is engaged in black pottery, showcasing traditional craftsmanship.

  

  

  
  
• Hilans Pahari Store (REAP): Established as a CBO enterprise under the REAP initiative and operated by Himalaya CLF, Haldwani block, this store promotes local products and has benefited 1,134 SHG members through collective marketing. It achieved a turnover of ₹5 lakh in just 8 months.

  

  

  
  
• MNREGA (Tea Garden): Tea maintenance work in Gunigaon GP, Dhari (FY 2024-25), with a cost of ₹39.18 lakh (MGNREGA: ₹7.34 lakh, department: ₹29.76 lakh), generated 2,990 man-days and benefited 21 women. 6,400 kg of tea was sent to Shyamkhet for packing.

  

  

  
  
• MNREGA (Anganwadi Centres): 39 Anganwadi Kendras are proposed for development in Nainital district through convergence of MGNREGA and ICDS funds, with 11 successfully completed so far. This initiative strengthens infrastructure for early childhood care and education in rural areas.

  

  

  
  
• RBI Programs: Programs included an Entrepreneurship Workshop and the 24th Uttarakhand Foundation Day celebration, which included a call for applications (1210 applications received against a target of 1200), graduates (232 against 180), “Just in time” (146 against 50), Ecosystem (21 against 20), and Student Guide (61 against 50).