By: Silhen Oinam
The Covid19 pandemic has posed a severe threat to the economy of the country. In a response to an extraordinary challenge, Hon’ble PM Shri Narendra Modi came up with “Aatma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan” that helps in promoting local economy and making the country self-reliant. Linked to this, a special and comprehensive economic package of Rs.20 lakh crore, that accounts for 10% of India’s GDP, has been announced. Under this, the MSME sector, farmers and migrant workers, agriculture, animal husbandry, fisheries and industrial infrastructure are provided with special funds and important structural reforms have been announced across these sectors.
Agro-based start ups will greatly benefit from these developments. One of the beneficiaries will be the bamboo linked industries. In our modern society, there has been a rise in the demand of the bamboo products as bamboo is a versatile material which is also very fast & easy to grow. Earlier, even though there were numbers of bamboo artisans and cultivators, they struggled to meet the demands of their customers.
There are number of ways that recognition of this sector to be promoted makes sense. Let us take a small example to understand its potential. In India, there is a huge demand for incense sticks, which are used in almost every household for daily rituals. In order to fulfill this demands, bamboo is imported from other countries. Since, the NE states have high yield in bamboo, Govt. has started to promote its farming and slowly local bamboo isreplaceing the imported bamboo.
Tripura’s bamboo water bottle has become a hit in India. The project is the brainchild of IFS officer Prasada Rao Vaddarapu, Chairperson of Tripura Rehabilitation Plantation Corporation(TRPC) with the help of Bamboo & Crafts Development Institute(BCDI) & some other organisations. This project attracted over one lakh orders in a day & enquiry call for bulk order from U.S & Dubai. It has generated huge employment potential and livelihood can be provided for thousands of artisans of the region. From farmers to artisans to migrant labours – many are benefitting from it now.
For bamboo water bottle project, bamboo is the most important input. Cultivated bamboo needs to be shifted from the farm site to the industry, so the local transporter will benefit in the process.Then, the local artisans will induce their labour for making the bottles after which the packaging sector takes up the process of packaging the finished products. From here, it will be transported to the market which will reach the customers. Those who can export it will add value to the chain and generate foreign exchange for the country. Thus, the project of making bamboo bottles can give a helping hand for the growth in India’s economy. It will make the dreams of many come true, and Aatma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan will help by providing the required fundings and other essentials.
Under the Aatma Nirbhar Abhiyan, there will be value addition of the local products and clustering of the artisans for the upliftment of bamboo local products. This might help to strengthen the economy of NE states as well as the country’s. During the pandemic, Hon’ble PM has took the initiatives to announce the special schemes for bamboo related industries and start ups in NE states. To mention a few, Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated India’s first bio-fuel refinary in Assam, that will primarily use bamboo and also,the first ever bamboo industrial Park in NE region has been set up in Assam. In his Man ki Baat programme, he highlighted the Bamboo tiffin boxes of Manipur.
It is now the responsibility of the states to take the further steps for promoting their local products. Taking the opportunities granted by the schemes, the youths of the country can also innovate with new ideas and establish their own industries instead of relying on the Government jobs and instead provide jobs to hundreds of people. It will indeed be a game changer if we take the idea forward with full intensity.
