1 VEGETABLE TANNING : The core of this model /methodology is Vegetable Tanning of hides (chiefly from fallen cattle) by groups of artisanal tanners equipped with improved/adapted technologies, skills and organization, networking with village-level flayers. Ideally-typical, projects with a nodal Tanning Unit would cover about 20 km. radius or 100-150 villages potentially involving, say, 200 flayers (artisans). Tanning Units and networks were set up and demonstrated at Bhadyal Field Station in the mid- ’90 and have been self sustaining through improved production/marketing since then. Now major functions are conducted at Malori field station. The Unit use CLRI’s improved veg.- tanning process adapted to local conditions and mostly sell the leather in the local markets to footwear artisans /units. In this area, the Unit/ network have been able to check/reverse the trend in rural areas of ‘exporting’ raw material and buying finished goods with little/no local value-addition. Further technology up gradation of these Units is underway through a programmed jointly supported by the Leather Technology Mission and the Department of Science & Technology. _____2 WET-BLUE TANNING : Due to local variations in supply/ demand the Tanning Units produce Wet-Blue Chrome Leather for sale to finishing units. Our Unit which has a sound base in Veg.-tanning have also taken up Wet -Blue as diversification to cover these grades of raw hides at our field station Malori. ____________ 3 CARCASS & BONE UTILIZATION : An area of work at STD has been in Bone Utilization as back ward linkage with the Tanning-Flaying network. This seeks to utilize the material/parts left after removing the hide from dead cattle and which are usually left for carrion. Adapting from and improving upon earlier effort by several other agencies, CTD has developed and demonstrated a viable model Unit and systems working at cluster-of -villages level its Dehradun Field Station. On these lines STD has established a bone Utilization Unit at its Malori Field Station. Valuable inputs have been obtained from CLRI’s Animal By-Products Division. A Carcass Cooker, with 150/250 kg. capacity for the bones left form a carcass are cooked in 30 psi operating pressure, is the hub of the system with other sub-systems such as drier, crusher etc. The process yields bone meal for poultry feed and for fertilizer. __________________ 4 LEATHER PRODUCTS : Work in this sector was initiated as forward linkage to the tanning activity. The Veg. Tanning unit Malori (earlier Bhadyal) operates a viable nodal Unit with a network of individual footwear artisans who make Footwear catering chiefly to ‘low-end’ rural/town markets. STD’s Malori Unit have also taken up making other Products such as bags, Purse luggage bags, gift items etc. Needless to say, this has involved considerable use of non-leather materials as well in both footwear and other leather products.