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New Delhi : Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh, on July 10, 2020, said that Bamboo sector will be one of the important components of India’s Post-COVID economy.
Addressing a webinar with various clusters of Cane and Bamboo Technology Centre (CBTC) and persons associated with Bamboo Trade, Dr Singh said that Bamboo will propel the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan in the North Eastern Region and is going to be an important vehicle of trade for India and the sub-continent. The Minister said that Bamboo is not only vital to North East India’s Post- COVID economy but it will also herald a new momentum for PM Narendra Modi’s clarion call of “Vocal for Local”.
Dr Singh gave the mantra of “Create, Curate and Coordinate” for the Bamboo sector for its full exploitation, branding, packaging and marketing in India and abroad. Underlining the unexpected potentials of this sector being neglected for the last 70 years, he said that the present Government has the capacity and the will to unlock its potential to the highest level as 40 percent of all Bamboo resources lie in North-Eastern Region in the country. He lamented that despite India being the 2nd largest producer of Bamboo and Cane in the world, its share is only 5 percent in global trade, according to a PIB release.
The Minister said that the sensitivity with which the Modi government views the importance for the promotion of Bamboo is evident from the fact that it has amended the century old Forest Act by taking home grown bamboo out of the purview of the Forest Act, in order to enhance livelihood opportunities through bamboo.
Dr Singh said that PM Modi has always accorded highest priority to Northeast. Soon after the Modi government took over in 2014, the Prime Minister had stated that every effort would be made to bring the North Eastern region at par with the more developed regions of the country. In the last six years, not only developmental gaps were bridged successfully, but the North- Eastern Region was supported in all its endeavours.
Speaking on the occasion, KirenRejiju, MoS, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and Minority Affairs, said that DoNER Ministry has done well to promote the Bamboo sector and now the onus lies on all the 8 North Eastern States to make it a vehicle of prosperity for the whole region. He also advocated that the Centre must do a hand-holding for the same as the sector has not realisaed its full potential.