New UTs J&K, Ladakh to get first-ever ‘Bamboo Parks’.

On the very first day of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh turning into Union Territories (UTs), the Ministry for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) has offered to set up first – ever “Bamboo Technology Parks” in the new Union Territories, and to begin with, the initiative will be undertaken to set up these parks in the cities of Jammu, Srinagar and Leh.

Disclosing this while briefing the media after an exhaustive meeting with senior officials of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Dr Jitendra Singh said, the birth of two new Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh will also herald the beginning of a bamboo revolution in the region. He said, the experiment of promoting Bamboo has met with a huge success in the North Eastern region and there is no reason why this success story cannot be replicated in J&K and Ladakh.

Dr Jitendra Singh informed that a team of senior officials of the Ministry of North East and functionaries of “Cane and Bamboo Technology Centre (CBTC)” Guwahati, affiliated with the Ministry of DoNER, recently undertook an extensive tour of Jammu & Kashmir during which, they held a series of meetings with State government officials and there was unanimity on both sides to go ahead with this initiative, using the technical know-how and expertise available with the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER).

Giving full credit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for having accepted the request to amend the 100 year old “Indian Forest Act” framed by the British empire, Dr Jitendra Singh said, the home grown bamboo is now exempted from the Act, which has suddenly opened floodgates of new avenues and opportunities of livelihood, entrepreneurship and Start-Up initiatives. This, he said, has resulted in preventing youth exodus from the Northeast which was happening due to lack of livelihood opportunities and added that if the eight States of the North Eastern region have immensely benefited from it in a short span of time, why should the people Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh be deprived of it, particularly now when Article 370 stands abrogated and the two Union Territories are directly administered by the Centre.

Dr Jitendra Singh disclosed that there are huge reserves of bamboo spread across Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh including in the district of Kathua, which have remained unexplored and largely unutilised. He issued instructions to immediately prepare a proposal with technical inputs form Cane & Bamboo Technology Centre (CBTC), Guwahati and in collaboration with other related Union Ministries like MSME and Agriculture, as well as the National Bamboo Mission.

The birth of two new Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh will also herald the beginning of a bamboo revolution in this region, Daily Excelsior quoted Dr Jitendra Singh as saying.