Skip to content Skip to navigation

Dr. Pradip Kumar Sarmah to take part in Copenhagen conference


Eminent social entrepreneur of Assam, Dr. Pradip Kumar Sarmah, founder Centre for Rural Development (CRD) an Ashoka Lemelson Fellow is invited to participate in ‘Velo-City Global Conference’ in Copenhagen from June 22-25 this year. This is observed as an honour in recognition of the outstanding contribution of Dr. Sarma who has fought to establish an alternative sustainable livelihood for the poor.


Velo-City is widely considered as the premier international cycling planning summit in the world. It is also the largest bicycle conference ever organised. This conference is hosted by the Municipal Corporation of Copenhagen with approximate intake of 1000 international participants including cycling experts, city planners, decision makers, NGOs, and researchers that seeks to to improve living conditions in their home countries and to contribute to global issues. The organizers of the conference are committed to make it a truly global event and hence they have selected participants from all continents of the world. Experts on the topic across geographical and professional borders will create a platform to find solution to blistering socio-economic issues like health, road safety, pollution, climate change etc.


Dr. Pradip Kumar Sarmah has founded Centre for Rural Development, a non for profit organization back in 1994 and has launched its flagship project Rickshaw Bank in 2004. Rickshaw Bank aims to make rickshaw puller owner of rickshaw rather than traditional system of renting which is a major blow to their financial security. As of now project Rickshaw Bank has achieved a Pan-Indian presence with its operation in six different cities, successfully making more than 5000 rickshaw puller proud owner of its aerodynamic rickshaw designed by IIT, Guwahati named Deep-Bahan. The initiative has garnered worldwide positive acclaim, besides its record in Limca Books of Records 2006. Recently Massachusetts Institute of Technology, (MIT), USA being the latest university is conducts a project called D-Lab Cycle Rickshaw Project in India . Apart from Rickshaw, CRD has been designing different tricycle models like Vegetable/Fruit Cart, Fish Cart, Momo Cart, Fast Food Cart, Lemon Water Cart, Milk Products Cart etc. and providing to the poor and unemployed youths with same financial modality as in Rickshaw.


At Velo-City 2010, Dr. Sarmah will be sharing his expertise on his illustrated journey with Rickshaw Bank and livelihood creation; his vision of an eco-friendly, green transport system, confirmed sources said. His entire trip is sponsored by the Outreach programme of the Velo-city 2010 conference.


Add new comment

Assamese Translator

Assam Times seeks English to Assamese translators!
Join our volunteer team.
Email editor@assamtimes.org.

Random Stories

Crucial AGP meet on 29th of August

26 Aug 2007 - 10:26am | BandanBharadwaj
Guwahati : A crucial general conference meeting of the Assam Gana Parishad (AGP) will be held with a three-day programme from August 29 to elect a new President and its Executives for coming session...

KMSS resumes anti big dam protest

2 Jan 2012 - 11:36pm | editor
After a brief halt, Lakhimpur and Dhemaji disticta erupted in anti big dam protest when thouands of people blockaded supply of materials meant from the NHPC-owned mega dams in Gruamukh....

Curfew in Sualkuchi

31 Mar 2013 - 10:34pm | AT News
The indefinite curfew was reclamped in Sualkuchi on Sunday a day after clashes between the protestors and the security personnel that left at least seven people injured.People in the silk town...

NTPC Salakati workers boycot duty

27 Jul 2015 - 7:51pm | Hantigiri Narzary
The constrctual worker and laboureres engaged with the Bongaigaon Thermal Power Project Corporation (BNTPC) situated at Salakati in Kokrakjhar carried out a 72 hours boycotted duties starting from...

Other Contents by Author

The Assam Directorate of Horticulture & Food Processing, Assam has decided to celebrate the World Honey Bee Day , in collaboration with Salt Range Private Limited, Guwahati on Saturday at Momai Tamuli Barbarua Training Hall, Khanapara, Guwahati.  The event is being organized under  Horticulture Mission for North East and Himalayan States(HMNEH). Atul Bora, Minister of Agriculture, Assam will inaugurate the programme in the morning.  Several bee keepers will attend in the programme. There will be Technical Session and Interaction Session for the benefit of bee keepers.   In this connection, a Training of Bee Keeper will also organised at...
Doordarshan Kendra, Guwahati will telecast a live Phone - in - Programme about present agricultural practices in context with recent flood affected fields in Assamese, on 2nd August , 2017 from 5.30pm to 6.00pm in the 'Krishi Darshan' Programme . Dr.Kishore Kr. Sharma, Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Assam Agricultural University and Mowsam Hazarika Assistant Director of Agriculture, Directorate of Agriculture, Assam will take part in the discussion and interact with the farmers.
In an effort to supply quality seeds to the farmers, the Assam State Seed Certification Agency (ASSCA) mooted a Seed Village Programme across 19 districts. According to reports, the agency is also looking to increase by more than double and reach a figure of Rs one crore during this financial year which will boost seed production, certification as well as procurement through joint efforts by the ASSCA and the Assam Seed Corporation (ASC). “For 2017-18, we have taken up winter paddy seed production through Seed Village Programme in 19 districts. A total of 2,420 hectares of agricultural land and 7,260 farmers have been brought under the programme,” Ananda Karmakar, Managing Director of...
Good news on Assam’s agriculture front. Dozens of varieties of winter paddy ( Sali Paddy ) seeds produced by registered Seed Growers,certified by Assam State Seed Certification Agency (ASSCA) are set to yield encouraging results. Procured by authorised Seed Dealers distributed or sold among farmers giving multifolds benefit to: Producers, Buyers, Farmers, State's Income and ASSCA's revenue earning too. ASSCA's revenue earning is at increasing trend: 2015-16 =Rs.25,84,067, 2016-17=Rs.44,38,192.  Strategies have been formulated in order to boost up more Seed production, Certification and Procurement through joint efforts of ASSCA and Assam Seed Corporation (ASC).  "There is no...
The Centre has launched a centrally sponsored Scheme in the north eastern region to boost the wild crop harvesting in thr country where Assam will reap rich harvest. Named as Mission Organic Value Chain Development, the scheme is expected to develop crop commodity specific organic value chain and address gaps in organic crop production. Apart from it, the mission aims at giving a boost to the organic livestock management, processing handling and marketing of organic agricultural products through the developing crop specific organic production clusters with necessary infrastructural. Technical and financial support by facilitating partnerships between farmers and organic businesses is...
Shillong-based Zizira, which is engaged in the area of natural food products, is looking to open markets in a way that will benefit the farmers of north-eastern region. “Agencies and the Government institutions help farmers with schemes, research and improved technological models, but they do not typically open markets. The farmers simply want to sell and make money. This is where Zizira comes in. Zizira is striving towards a successful business to sell products to the metro cities across India,” Ibansara Shullai, Coordinator of Zizira, told . She added, “Farmers sell the crops in the local markets or to middlemen at lower prices. We are working towards changing this concept.” “Currently...
The Centre has launched a centrally sponsored Scheme named as Mission Organic Value Chain Development for the North Eastern states during to develop crop commodity specific organic value chain and address gaps in organic crop production. It further aims at wild crop harvesting, organic livestock management and processing handling and marketing of organic agricultural products through the developing crop specific organic production clusters with necessary infrastructural, technical and financial support by facilitating partnerships between farmers and organic businesses. This includes Local enterprises and / or Farmer Producer Companies based on back-to-back long-term trade relations with...
The Union Cabinet has approved the Interest Subvention Scheme (ISS) for farmers for the year 2017-18 to help farmers get short term crop loan up to Rs. 3 lakh payable within one year at only 4% per annum. The Government has earmarked a sum of Rs. 20,339 crore for this purpose. The interest subvention will be given to Public Sector Banks (PSBs), Private Sector Banks, Cooperative Banks and Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) on use of own funds and to NABARD for refinance to RRBs and Cooperative Banks. The Interest Subvention Scheme will continue for one year and it will be implemented by NABARD and RBI. The objective of the scheme is to make available at ground level, agricultural credit for...
Crijaf Sona, a microbial formulation powder used for retting jute fibres, was launched in Guwahati on Monday. The microbial formulation, developed by the Central Research Institute for Jute and Allied Fibres (CRIJAF), under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, is expected to increase the income of farmers. Nearly 80,000 farmers are engaged in jute cultivation in Assam and the annual production of jute fibre is 1.3 lakh tonnes.Retting is the process of extracting fibre from a plant's stem and one way of doing so is the use of micro-organisms and moisture. Water or microbial retting is an old but the most popular process in extracting fine bast fibres. Jute stalks, after harvesting,...
Guwahati Doordarshan Kendra will telecast a live Phone-in-Programme, namely 'Hello Krishi Darshan' on Commercial Floriculture in Assamese , on 7th June (Wednesday) next from 5.30pm to 6pm in the 'Krishi Darshan' programme. Dr Sunil Kumar Borah , Principal Scientist, Horticultural Research Station, Assam Agricultural University and Mowsam Hazarika, Assistant Director ( Horticulture) , Directorate of Horticulture and Food Processing, Assam will take part in the programme . It may be mentioned that, the said programme will be helpful for the farmers of Assam, who are interested in floriculture . It is hope that, floriculture may initiate new era in Assam Horticulture . Interested farmers may...