Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Thursday launched the free bamboo sapling distribution campaign from Dediapada village of Narmada district saying that the State government wants to develop a complete eco-system for bamboo-based industry which would generate a large number of employment opportunities for the members of tribal communities.
“Gujarat has taken direction towards cultivating bamboo which will be proven as ‘Green Gold’ for tribal people. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has opened a new door for the all-round development of the tribals by removing the 90-year-old law of treating bamboo just as a tree. As a result, bamboo-based industries are developing in many states of the country,” said the Chief Minister.
Patel also inaugurated four bamboo-based Skill Enhancement Centres (Kausalya Vardhan Kendra) in the tribal areas under the Pradhan Mantri Kausalya Vardhan Yojana to give systematic and timely holistic skills to the tribal youth. These centers are based at Dediapada, Netrang, Waghai and Kevadi, set up at an estimated cost of Rs 2 crore and they will become a growth center to enable bamboo products across the globe.
These centers in tribal areas will achieve the goal of “Vocal for Local”, he said, adding the Government’s commitment for the overall uplift of Vanbandhu tribes has come true with this multi-faceted development.
“The government is constantly striving for the economic upliftment of the tribal community through quality use of forest resources like bamboo. The then Chief Minister of the state and the present PM Modi removed the problems faced by the tribal community in the past by providing benefits worth crores of rupees through Vanbandhu Kalyan Yojana,” he claimed.
Due to many science colleges established in the tribal areas, tribal children are pursuing higher education and realizing their dream of becoming pilots, doctors, engineers, he said, after distributing benefits worth Rs 3 crore for cluster development and another Rs 2 crore for Vanalakshmi as well as eco-development-eco-tourism.
On the occasion, the Chief Minister released a book on ‘Bamboo Resource of Gujarat’.
For his part, Gujarat’s Tribal Development Minister, Naresh Patel, said that the Central and State Governments have carried out various schemes for the benefit of the tribal community in the area from Ambaji to Umarpada, providing employment to the tribal community
The Gujarat Government had just a couple of days ago re-launched the Krushi Vaividhyakaran Scheme 2022-23, aimed at wooing the tribal voters as the State heads towards the Assembly polls later this year.
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel intends to reach out to 1.23 lakh tribal farmers in 14 tribal districts. Out of the 182 assembly seats, 27 seats are reserved for STs and another 20 odd seats are highly influenced by the tribal voters.
