| Govt, NECBDC signs MoU on Bamboo Entrepreneurship | | MoU marks the beginning of new chapter; will create new wave for overall development and harnessing of unexplored, untapped potential of Bamboo Sector in J&K: Lt Governor | |  Early Times Report
JAMMU, Jan 12: In order to harness the unexplored potential of bamboo sector in J&K, the Ministry of DoNER, GoI through North East Cane & Bamboo Development Council (NECBDC) under North Eastern Council (NEC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Government of J&K for Bamboo Entrepreneurship and Bamboo Infrastructure Development in J&K. The MoU was signed in presence of Manoj Sinha, Lieutenant Governor of J&K and Dr. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, MoS, PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space here at Convention Centre.
Speaking on the occasion, the Lt Governor, Manoj Sinha congratulated the people of J&K and all those associated with Bamboo Sector and said that the signing of MoU will give impetus to bamboo production, its processing and associated business, and to develop bamboo industry into a strong industry of Jammu and Kashmir.
For planned cultivation of commercial species of Bamboo, the Lt Governor said that the J&K Administration will explore the possibility of setting up a State Bamboo Mission (SBM) in Jammu and Kashmir that will benefit large number of farmers in the UT.
The Lt Governor said that with the signing of MoU for bamboo development in Jammu and Kashmir, the vision of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi of 'Har Medh Par Ped' has been made a reality in Jammu and Kashmir, said the Lt Governor.
Laying special emphasis on tapping the potential of the Bamboo sector in J&K, the Lt Governor observed that the MoU has been carefully drafted for the overall development and harnessing of unexplored, untapped potential of the Sector of Jammu Kashmir.
Through our partnership with North East Cane and Bamboo Development Council, we will take up implementation & Development of bamboo technology, bamboo based research and related developmental activities in the Union Territory and replicate good practices in J&K by knowledge sharing & technical partnership, the Lt Governor said.
The MoU will create financial and market linkages for the Bamboo produce and facilitate promoting Bamboo startup entrepreneurship, besides developing the training facilities for farmers, entrepreneurs, craftsmen, and villagers associated with bamboo sector. It will also facilitate market awareness to J&K Entrepreneurs and facilitating the joint exhibitions, export promotions etc, observed the Lt Governor.
Underscoring the significance of the initiative, the Lt Governor observed that our partner with expertise in the Bamboo Sector will pave the way for the formation and development of bamboo clusters, product clusters in Jammu, Samba, Kathua and in other potential districts of Jammu and Kashmir.
In order to increase the coverage of appropriate, popular and commercial bamboo species in Jammu and Kashmir, NECBDC would provide technical guidance in forming bamboo product clusters using modern design and technology and a suitable mechanism will be worked out jointly by both the parties, said the Lt Governor.
Government is creating a robust Business Ecosystem in the Bamboo Sector in J&K. With these efforts, soon, bamboo products will be in the list of niche products of J&K and encourage employment for thousands, said the Lt Governor.
“This marks the beginning of a new chapter. The MoU will create a new wave for all-round development of unexplored, untapped Bamboo Sector. Now, local artisans, entrepreneurs can touch new heights of progress and make domestic products available to the global market. Today, we have taken a giant leap in this direction to give a push to the products made from Bamboo called Green Gold, and, we have moved towards changing the lives of artisans and farmers with new technology’, remarked the Lt Governor.
At present, around 1000 families are associated with bamboo handicrafts in Jammu and Kashmir, and we want to take this number to 10 thousand. The efforts for this are proceeding at a rapid pace, the Lt Governor observed.
At national level, more than 25,000 bamboo based industries are providing employment opportunities to about 2 crore people, while about 21 to 22 lakh people are engaged in bamboo based art. The Bamboo industry is promoting the items related to it ,such as raw material, building materials, handicrafts, pulp, paper and production of bamboo fibers, Fiber Board of bamboo fibers, bamboo flooring etc. directly and through value addition, he added.
On potential of J&K in Bamboo production, the Lt Governor said that there are large parts in Kathua, Samba, Jammu, Udhampur and Reasi which are not suitable for farming, but have ample scope of Bamboo production. The products like Decorative Pieces, Agarbatti, Almirah, Doors, Windows and other decorative things can be made. This will boost business at the local level and provide new employment opportunities to the youth, he added. |
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