Arjun Munda inaugurates special initiative to provide jobs to 30,000 tribals using 'bamboonomics'

Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda on Friday inaugurated a special initiative with the aim to provide jobs to 30,000 tribals at the '4 per 1000 initiative

The event was held on the concluding day of the 14th session of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).

The initiative was launched under the Central government's Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDP) through bamboo cultivation project under Pradhan Mantri Van Dhan scheme.

The initiative has been launched jointly with a German company named GIZ.

Bamboo being categorised as the grass has a higher carbon sequestration potential and excellent capacity to restore degraded land. Tribal households with the availability of bamboo can now be put to greater economic use.

Expected to come into action by October 31, the tribals would be making handcrafted pieces mostly of bamboo at Van Dhan centres. Products made from one bamboo can make tribals earn upto Rs 3000 in the long run after training is imparted to them.

Items such as bamboo plastic, composite bamboo furniture (detachable), bamboo wood structure, gazebo and non-timber forest products can be made and their usage will be encouraged through this initiative.

This will also help in promoting the construction of ethnic and eco-tourism.

The Van Dhan Scheme launched by Prime Minister in 2018, targets to set up nearly 60,000 centres for skill upgradation and capacity building training.

Pravir Krishna, chairman of Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India, under the ministry said, "Keeping in focus the tribal community, a strategy has been chalked out at the UN conclave to provide them with the market access. Basics have been worked out today, we will launch it by the end of this month."

In addition, Krishna said, "Within next three to four years we are aiming to involve five lakh tribals and contribute to carbon credits as well."

At first, around 100 Van Dhan centres will be set up around the country.

These centres set up mainly in the North-eastern states and also Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha will also contribute in evading the problem of land degradation and desertification too.

India is targeting to restore its goal of 26 million hectors of land by 2030.