UP forest dept to set up incense stick factory for Vantangiyas in Gorakhpur

In a bid to promote employment opportunities in Vantangiya villages, the Uttar Pradesh forest department has prepared a project to set up an incense stick factory here that would provide employment opportunities to girls and women in these villages.

"The project is based on experiments in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra where thousands of families are working in incense stick factories for their living," District Forest Officer (DFO) Avnish Kumar told reporters here on Monday.

In the initial stage, 20 machines will be installed at a cost of around Rs 20 lakh with the village heads of Vantangiya villages including Tinkonia-3, Jungle Ramgarh aka Rajihi Khale Tola, Chilbilwa, Ramgarh Sarkar and Azadnagar meeting the district forest officer to discuss the project.

The proposal has been accepted and women will prepare incense sticks using bamboo, charcoal and scent after getting requisite training, the DFO said.

"Hopefully, it will benefit 4,000 to 5,000 families. The forest department is looking for an incense stick company to market the product," the DFO pointed out.

The Vantangiya community comprises people from Myanmar, who were brought here during the colonial rule to plant trees for afforestation.