J&K admin, NECBDC to sign MoU on bamboo entrepreneurship on Jan 12

Srinagar, Jan 12: Bamboo Entrepreneurship and Bamboo Infrastructure Development, Jammu and Kashmir Administration and North East Cane and Bamboo Development Council (NECBDC) are going to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Jammu today for the promotion of bamboo in Jammu plains.

The Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) in its year-end report has revealed that three bamboo clusters are being developed in Jammu division in coming days, which will provide employment opportunities to over 25,000 persons.

The report said that around 35 per cent area under bamboo is in North Eastern States.

“However, this potential of Bamboo for NER was not being fully utilized due to restrictions in movement of Bamboo under Indian Forest Act, 1927,” it said.

The report says that the government removed Bamboo from the classification of trees in Indian Forest Act 1927 through Indian Forest (Amendment) Act, 2017 and re-classified it as grass by Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.

“The decision is a game changer for development of Bamboo in the North Eastern Region as it would facilitate large scale cultivation and processing of bamboo,” the report adds.

It further says that in coming months, three Bamboo Clusters will be developed in Jammu, Katra and Samba areas for making of Bamboo basketary, Agarbatti and Bamboo Charcol which will provide direct employment opportunities to about 25,000 people.

“Apart from this a Mega Bamboo Industrial Park at Ghati near Jammu and Bamboo Technology Training Centre will also come up in the region within two years of the allotment of land by the UT of J&K administration,” report further adds.

The MoU will be signed at Convention Centre canal road Jammu in the presence of Lt Governor of J&K, Manoj Sinha and MOS (IC) Ministry of DoNER and MoS, PMO, Personal, Public Grievances and pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh. —(KNO)