Chhattisgarh NEWS : Under the leadership of Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Deo Sai, the State Government is making every possible effort to make tribal families self-reliant and bamboo-based schemes will prove to be a milestone in this direction. Bamboo has a special significance in tribal culture and is now emerging as a powerful means of livelihood. The state government will make the tribal family self-reliant through bamboo and make bamboo products through direct access to the market. This will not only strengthen the rural economy but will also balance the ecosystem.
Bamboo will now bring prosperity and greenery in the lives of the families of the special backward Kamar tribe living in the remote forest areas of Dhamtari district. Under the Dharti Aaba Gramme Utkarsh Abhiyan run by the Central Government under the leadership of Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, Kamar and other tribal families of Dhamtari district of the state will be given special training in bamboo cultivation and bamboo art. The objective of this campaign is to strengthen the income of tribal families by connecting them with traditional livelihood as well as modern technologies. Bamboo is not only a boon for the environment, but it is also capable of strengthening the economic condition of tribal families. In view of the increasing demand for bamboo products in the country and abroad, tribal families will be trained not only in farming but also in product manufacturing, designing and marketing.
Dhamtari Collector Abinash Mishra informed that a special action plan is being prepared for bamboo cultivation in Gangrel and Tumrabahara area of the district. Technical guidance on bamboo cultivation and bamboo art has also been given to the representatives of tribal community by bamboo expert and retired Indian Forest Service officer Shri A.K. Bhattacharyya. Bamboo products such as furniture, lamps, pen stands, brooms, soups, attractive baskets, plate-like brooms, water bottles, toothbrushes and bamboo jewellery are being made. The Collector said that schemes like Bamboo Blaze, Artificial Card, Bamboo FPO, Kisan Bamboo Credit Card will also be promoted to make bamboo the main source of income for tribal families in the district. Bamboo artisans will be sent for training to the Bamboo Art Centre at Chandrapur in Maharashtra for upgrading their skills.