Council for Social and Digital Development (CSDD)

CSDD joined and participated in the World Summit Award (WSA) Global Congress Meet 2025, held in T-Hub, Hyderabad, Telangana, India, during April 7-9. It is organised by the Information Technology, Electronics & Communications (ITEC) Department, Government of Telangana, WEE HUB, the World Summit Award (WSA) and the Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF). The CSDD joined the panel session on 'DIGITAL JUST CLIMATE TRANSITION: BALANCING PEOPLE, PLANET, AND PROGRESS'. The Session speakers included - Darshna Shah, Chief AI Officer, Elastacloud, UK; Siddarth Reddy, Vice President- Corporate Strategy & Global Expansion, CtrlS, India; Renuka Devi, SoochnaPreneur, Digital Empowerment Foundation, India; Dr Syed Kazi, Director, Council for Social and Digital Development, India; Rishi Kishore, Fellow, Swaniti Initiative; Vignesh Sivaramakrishnan, Product Specialist TraceX, Powerledger, Australia; and Reetwika Mukherjee, Corporate Cyber Security Strategist, India. Dr Kazi shared perspectives on Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) in the context of the North East India Region. More than half of the North East's Gram Panchayats (GPs) are not connected to the India's BBNL Broadband connectivity at each GP level. Even if those connected, the challenge and need is to make use of this investment in this DPI infrastructure for public services and purposes. The question is whether the public, the people are ready and prepared to use this infrastructure and how DPI should reach out to the people. That the DPI infrastructure and systems did not work in Manipur during the recent ethnic conflicts and longest Internet shutdown during 2023-2024, when more than 200 days of shutdown affected lives completely. The question is how do we assess such situations in terms of DPIs and how we are prepared in such circumstances in the region, wherein the processes of national integration is still taking shape with the efforts of the government and other stakeholders. Another aspect of DPI in the region is how the region is prepared to have resilient DPI systems in the light of natural disasters, calamities and geo-physical challenges. For instance, as per a recent report in February, 2025, more than 18,000 telecom towers in Assam alone is exposed to vulnerability of cyclones and floods (report by the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure and the Department of Telecom, India). The threat is the region is placed in Seismic zone V, which is the most vulnerable spot for natural calamity and disaster. Finally, how and why DPI systems can be more fair and just to the vulnerable groups and communities, environment and climate.

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT PROJECT FIELD COORDINATOR LOCATION: TITABOR / MARIANI (JORHAT) | ASSAM JOB DESCRIPTION:   Name of Project / Programme: ‘SARVAS: Entitle4All’ [সৰ্বস: সকলোৰে বাবে প্ৰাপ্য] Job title: Project FIELD Coordinator  Job Location: Titabor / Mariani, Jorhat, Assam  Job area: Access to government schemes, entitlements, rights, and services; Tea Tribe & Adivasis Community.   Specific job area: Tea Tribe/community, digital inclusion and empowerment, financial empowerment, linkages to government schemes and opportunities;  Job Nature: Project Implementation and Management in tea gardens of Titabor / Mariani in Jorhat District of Assam  Tenure: 12 months and beyond.  Nature of work: Project design, planning, stakeholders and community engagement, project implementation, review, monitoring, assessment, field visits, meeting stakeholders, organizing workshops, meetings, leading discussions and meetings, reporting and documentation.  Remuneration: 20000- 25000 per month (CTC)   Educational qualification: At least Masters in any social sciences, social work, economics, management and technology.  Work experience: with a minimum of 2-4 years of field experience in project/programme implementation involving communities and stakeholders. Only serious candidate willing to work on the ground is welcome.  Other skill sets: Good digital skills & application knowledge; good communications skill; good English and Assamese reading, speaking and writing Skills. Candidate with 2-wheeler will be preferred.  Language skills: knowledge of SADRI dialect (spoken by Tea Tribe & Adivasis) welcome.   About the Organisation: The CSDD is a development agency, set up in 2020, based out of Guwahati, Assam. More at https://csddindia.in/  Date of Joining: May 1, 2025 Contact: csddindia2030@gmail.com    

Climate change and its impact on lives and livelihood is for real for the indigenous Karbi Tribe community in Kolongpur Village of Nortap Panchayat in Dimoria Block of Kamrup Metro District of Assam. With a population of nearly 100 households and women and men equally working in Bettlenut, orange, broom stick, and growing paddies', and now almost all HHs growing rubber plantations, the community is experiencing climate impacts over the years. They have stopped growing ginger (as they noticed white patched diseases), size of betelnuts growing smaller, dry weather, rainfall shortage are affecting them over the years in recent times. A discussion on 'Climate Safe Village' (জলবায়ু সুৰক্ষিত গাঁও) with women of Four women SHGs, highlighted increasing challenge to livelihoods and income generation. Enabling, building and strengthening a strong observation based perspectives with real life experiences around it on climate change trends and its close interconnect to existence is need of the hour to prepare communities for effective Response and Resilience. And Climate Change Education (CCE) is the first step!

India's economy heavily depends on tea, with the state of Assam, in the North East Region of India, being the world's top producer of black tea. Millions of people's lives depend on the tea industry. There is a dearth of documentation that offers thorough spatial insights into the alternative livelihoods, in case their conventional source of livelihood like tea plucking is threatened, primarily due to climate change. Hence, a thorough examination is necessary to determine the vulnerability faced by those whose livelihoods depend on the tea landscape due to climate change. Therefore, by using a sustainable livelihood method to examine the tea landscape of Assam's Jorhat area, this pilot research, 'Alternative Skills and Livelihood Need and Opportunity for the Tea Tribe and Adivasi Women to Mitigate Environment and Climate Change Impacts in Assam: A Pilot Study,' attempts to overcome this knowledge gap. Responses from women's sections of the tea tribe community were documented through semi-structured interviews, participant observations, and Focus Group Discussion (FGD) techniques. In the face of climate change, findings within the tea industry segment show the level of readiness with alternative sustainable skills and livelihood options for the tea workers, who are mainly women. The study's conclusions emphasise the necessity of flexible and climate-resilient initiatives, along with proactive assistance from stakeholders with the development of necessary Indigenous and Traditional Skills (hereafter, ITS) and resource support, to ensure long-term socio-environmental sustainability and alternate livelihood sources in the face of incoming changing climate exigencies.

Building and strengthening the capacities of the Tea Tribe & Adivasi community is critical to their mainstreaming and inclusion. Today on March 18, 2025, a workshop cum orientation programme was organised on 'Strengthening and Improving Access to Public Schemes, Entitlements, Social Security and Protection of Tea Tribe & Adivasis' in Titabor, Jorhat, Assam. The Assistant Labour Commissioner (ALC) in Jorhat, Assam, Ms. Rupali Pegu and her team, provided valuable insights on various schemes, and provisions under the Plantation Labour Act to select representatives from the community at the Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangh (ACMS) Titabor campus. Mr. Nagen Kurmi, Secretary, ACMS, Titabor also shared critical perspectives on social security and protection. Ms. Sonia Tanti, Community CBO leader, facilitated the workshop. This is part of a series of training for a cadre of 20 Tea Tribe and Adivasi youth community social workers who are being trained on the entitlement and social security ecosystem for the community, along with others. Incidentally, today is also the International Social Work Day!

The role of Community Development Organisations (CDOs) is paramount in preparing and enabling resilient communities in the midst of existing and emerging development, technological, environmental, and climatic exigencies threatening life, livelihood, and local ecosystems and sustainability. The first initial steps of forming - All Assam Adivasi Mahila Sewa Sangathan (AAAMSS) - is hoped to build this startup CDO to mark its meaningful footprint for holistic, inclusive empowerment and mainstreaming of the Adivasi women in Assam, in North East India Region. The CSDD is committed to this need on ground.

On this International Women's Day, the Amri Karbi Community Development Project (AKCDP), the Dumura Tribal Development Society (DTDS), the North East Development Foundation, and CSDD, came together to celebrate grassroots women Change Makers in Dimoria Block of Kamrup Metro District of Assam.

Internet for peace, justice, equity, and security of and for women!

Today on International Women's Day, the Community Access Network (CAN), SSPP, and Zo Academia collaborated to organise 'Internet & Online Safety and Security of Women,' at SSPP Complex, Bungmual Village, Lamka, Churachandpur, Manipur. The first session, led by Ms. Esther Biakhoih and Ms. Elin Luanngailian from E&M Legal Associates, was a workshop on online safety and security for women, covering cyber threats and protective measures. N Khamliansang from Zo Academia hosted the program, and George Thangmuansang from CAN, SSPP, gave a vote of thanks. The second session featured a PowerPoint presentation competition on the "Misuse of Social Media," where participants worked in groups to present their ideas. Certificates were given to all participants, and the top three groups received prizes. The event successfully promoted online safety, responsible social media use, and digital literacy, fostering a sense of community and empowerment. CAN is supported by the APNIC Foundation, under ISIF Grants 2024-2025.