Northeast To Focus On Bamboo Industry: Dr Jitendra Singh

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Northeast To Focus On Bamboo Industry: Dr Jitendra Singh

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 said that with central assistance, Northeast will focus on bamboo industry, since this is a sector which has not received the deserved attention inspite of the fact that over 60% of India's bamboo is grown in this region. Addressing the meeting of "NITI Aayog Forum for Northeast" in Guwahati, Dr. Jitender singh said that under the directions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the home grown bamboo has been exempted from the Forest Act. During the meeting, Dr Jitendra Singh disclosed that the government has set up a new National Bamboo Mission (NBM) to focus on this sector. The North Eastern Council Cane & Bamboo Development Council (NECBDC) will act as a coordinating and facilitating agency for the North Eastern region, he added. Out of a total outlay of Rs 1,290 crore till March 2020, Rs 150-200 crore has been allocated for the North Eastern region for the year 2018-19. He said that the priority will be the marketing of high value products like bamboo shoots, candy, bamboo charcoal fibre in fashion industry, etc. In addition, big industries dealing in fibre, construction material, bamboo engineered wood, etc. are the potential areas which can be envisaged for further expansion, he said.