Capacity Building of VSS
VSS Management Manual Development
To enable VSSs to manage their respective JFM areas, organizations and forests, a comprehensive standard VSS management manual for the Project will be prepared at the PMU level. It will be customised at filed level to meet the respective VSSs and JFM areas. Both the standard and customised manuals will be revised periodically based on lessons learned from the field during the Project period. The standard guidelines will be written in both English and Oriya, while customised ones will be produced in Oriya.

Community Organisation and Revitalisation of VSS
(a) There is a need for either organizing new VSSs or reorganising/reorienting the existing VSSs to establish the necessary solidarity, cohesiveness and group mechanism in line with the vision and mission of the Project, so as to prepare them to participate in the organization. This will be done through orientation of DMU and FMU staff as a part of induction training, followed by orientation of VSSs/communities and project stakeholders such as the concerned Panchayat Raj Institutions, representatives of influential local NGOs and community-based organizations (CBOs). Following the explanation, it will be decided through the discussion on whether or not the VSS would join the Project, or a community to form VSS and participate in JFM under the same. Through the process stated above the target VSSs /communities will be selected.
(b) For formation of new VSSs leaders of the selected community along with representatives from Gram Panchayat, and the FMU in association with the NGO would conduct several meetings with all forest dependants in the community. This would form a VSS, constitute a general body and elect the Executive Committee members, prepare by-laws and enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with OFD concerned. Non-forest dependents in the community will be excluded from the membership.

(c) Re-Orientation to existing VSSs: In case existing “dormant” VSSs are involved in the JFM under the Project, they need to be revitalized to gain the necessary organizational identity and unity.
(d) As VSS officers and members are farmers and engaged in regular livelihood activities, their time for unpaid/underpaid project works (such as meetings, monitoring work and trainings) is limited. Therefore, the community organizing activities should not be too intensive and spread over a period of time. Initial orientation to approval of Micro plan will be completed in about eight months time.

Formulation of Micro Plan
A micro plan is a comprehensive document to guide the VSS in pursuing all forest management for its JFM area, community development and institutional development and other Project intervention. The VSS will be responsible for formulation of their micro plan, which will be assisted by the contracted NGOs/experts and the FMU concerned. PRA for resource assessment and analysis will be conducted for this purpose. A map of each JFM area at a scale of 1:5,000 would provide indispensable scientific information for the formulation of the appropriate micro plan.

Training, Coaching and Information Dissemination at the VSS Level
Training and information dissemination are ongoing practices rather than events under the Project. The Project will focus more on learning by doing and experience sharing rather than structured/formal classroom training programmes. Participatory learning and sharing will form the core of the capacity building programme.
a) Training needs analysis (TNA): TNA will be done by the NGO who has been engaged fro community /tribal development activities, under the close monitoring of FMU during meetings of VSS and preparation of the micro plan.
b) Developing training design/modules: Based on the TNA, modules for the training programme will be developed possibly at the PMU or DMU level by training specialists who would be hired for the training or by the OFD officers. The training specialists could be the resource person for the training session. The training specialist or resource person will prepare new training material or utilize existing material.
c) Conducting training programme at the VSS level: The training will be conducted on different subjects developed at the above process. Major training methods to be followed will be interactive and on-the-job training. Since daily “learning by doing” is emphasized, the structured training will be limited to those absolutely necessary. In three year, 12 such training programmes will be conducted.
d) At the FMU or DMU level, training programmes will be organised for representatives　/leaders of VSSs, as required, mostly related to management of programmes and VSS.
e) In each DMU one programme will be organised on advanced silviculture and forest management, forest law enforcement and forest fire management. Representatives will be selected from the VSSs concerned following a set of selection criteria. After training these people should train their VSS members. The resource people will be sought at the forest department, particularly from the office of the silviculturist and forest training schools.

Exposure trip/exchange visit
DMU will create scope for regular exchange visits for VSS members within their Forest Division for promoting mutual learning through interaction with each other, and exposure to good practices. . For this DMU will prepare a list of outstanding VSSs and help the FMUs concerned to send their VSSs to these sites. DMU will also organize a small team from selected VSSs and send them to other VSS/VSSs in the neighbouring Forest Divisions or other parts of the state that have been doing excellent work in forest management and conservation.

Improvement of VSS Facility and Equipment
a) Provision of a multipurpose building for each VSS: Each VSS will construct a low cost multipurpose building and meeting facility. The built-up area will be around 40 m2, consisting of a room of around 15 m2 and a meeting space without walls of about 25 m2. FMU and VSS will work together to design the building based on prototypes.
The land for the building will be sought by the concerned VSS from communal land, for which consultation may be required with Gram Panchayat and also revenue authorities for use of land and construction of the building as well. The VSS members will contribute labour for construction of such office space.
b) Office Equipment: Each VSS will be provided with essential office equipment/furniture such as chairs, tables, mats, cabinets, almirah/shelf, petromax light and a typewriter.

Empowerment of VSS, Networking and Resource Mobilisation
VSS management fund: Executive Committee members of the VSS, especially the leaders, would have to shoulder a larger workload than previously. The time and effort used to be devoted for their livelihood, should be compensated. Otherwise, true and sustainable JFM may not materialize. For this, VSS members who receive job opportunities and wages from their VSS for the Project would be requested to contribute to VSS management cost recovery. Such contributions will be pooled in as part of a VSS management fund to be used for compensatory payment.
The mechanism of collecting contributions and providing compensation to the leaders will be discussed and decided based on consensus at a general body meeting of the VSS. A fixed monthly amount or Rs. 2.50 contribution for every Rs. 52.50 daily wage, might be an option. The FMU and NGO concerned will closely monitor operation of the fund to avoid mismanagement. The fund, when it grows a few years after its establishment, could be used for other village development activities to benefit the majority, if not all, VSS members who contributed to the fund.
b) Delegation of responsibilities and rights of VSS on JFM area management - VSS need official recognition and adequate authority to manage their forest. For this, the financial and penal powers/ responsibilities to be vested in VSS will be elaborated in a clear cut manner and in detail as an attachment to the MoU for JFM.
c) The process of bringing all the VSSs to a common platform will be initiated to facilitate mutual help and cooperation through periodic meetings to discuss issues of forest protection and management in the area and how to address these issues collectively.
d) Fund raising: VSS will be helped by the concerned FMU and the NGO to develop small project proposals and submit them to different government departments and external institutions for mobilising resources. The VSS is expected to work closely with the Gram Panchayat concerned to access available resources of the different departments of the state and national government.