Awareness programme on bamboo cultivation organised CORRESPONDENT TEZPUR, June 22 An awareness camp on bamboo cultivation and bamboo products was organised here at Deputa Natya Mandir premises recently to promote artisans and their way of income generation.
The day-long programme, organised by Ambedkar Hastasilpa Vikas Yojna, sponsored by Development Commission (Handicraft), Ministry of Textiles, and implemented by Tezpur-based NGO Helpmate, was attended by Kamesh Salam, Director, Cane and Bamboo Technology Centre, Guwahati, president, World Bamboo Organisation, PD, DRDA, Sonitpur, Mohodananda Hazarika, Hadi Alom Bora, president of Helpmate, Madhurjya Handique, Krishna Talukdar, Sajid Khan, Helpmate, Dayal Chandra Thakur, DC, (Handicraft), Ministry of Textiles and about 150 people of Deputa area, including SHG and NGO workers.
The programme was started with the welcome address by Bhupen Bordoloi.
Speaking on the awareness programme, MK Handique, secretary, Helpmate, explained the AHVY schemes and strategies for implementing them. He further explained the cluster concept and scope of cane and wood crafts of Deputa and its periphery. He mentioned that 5 clusters were sanctioned by the office of the Development Commissioner (Handicrafts), Ministry of Textiles, last year. He requested the artisans and youths to take up self-employment opportunities based on locally available raw materials.
Attending the programme as distinguished guest, the PD, Sonitpur district, highlighted the importance of cane and bamboo sector in the self-employment of local youths. Local youths, artisans and common people are yet to fully utilise cane, bamboo and wood by setting up economically viable units. DRDA is organising various awareness camps among the unemployed youths for creating awareness about the viability of cane and bamboo, he said.
Kamesh Salam, who attended the programme as chief guest, focused on the importance of introducing new technology for making value-added products and maintained that despite availability of cane and bamboo in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, artisans are facing problems in getting cane for their units. CBTC is likely to introduce cane-processing machines for treatment of cane for making better products, he said. The chief guest further stated that CBTC is planning to formulate a regional policy on cane by involving the departments concerned of the NE States, which would be helpful for entrepreneurs and artisans to get regular supply of quality raw materials.
Dayal Chandra Thakur, attending the programme, stressed the need for full use of the scheme for income generation among the unemployed sections of the society. Sanjay Talukdar, AGM, NABARD, urged the people to accept the benefits provided by NABARD.
At the end Hadi Alom Bora, noted social worker and president of Helpmate, who presided over the day-long programme, declared that a cluster development coordination group would be formed to monitor the activities of the cluster.
