Unique Project To Boost Tribal Income And Bamboo Economy In Rajasthan

A unique scientific exercise serving the combined national objectives of reducing desertification and providing livelihood and multi-disciplinary rural industry support has been initiated by Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC).

The project named “Bamboo Oasis on Lands in Drought” (BOLD) is the first- of-its-kind exercise in India which was launched on Monday from the tribal village NichlaMandwa in Udaipur, Rajasthan.

As many as 5,000 saplings of special bamboo species — Bambusa Tulda and Bambusa Polymorpha specially brought from Assam — have been planted over 25 bighas (16 acres) of vacant arid Gram Panchayat land.

KVIC has thus created a world record of planting the highest number of bamboo saplings on a single day at one location.

Project BOLD, which seeks to create bamboo-based green patches in arid and semi-arid land zones, is aligned with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for reducing land degradation and preventing desertification in the country.

The initiative has been launched as part of KVIC’s “Khadi Bamboo Festival” to celebrate 75 years of independence “Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav”.

KVIC is set to replicate the project at Village Dholera in Ahmedabad district in Gujarat and Leh-Ladakh region by August this year. A total of 15,000 bamboo saplings will be planted before 21 August.

KVIC Chairman Vinai Kumar Saxena said the green patches of bamboo on these three places will help in reducing the land degradation percentage of the country, while on the other hand, they will be havens of sustainable development and food security.

BJP MP Arjun Lal Meena said the bamboo plantation programme in Udaipur will boost self-employment in the region. He said such projects will benefit a large number of women and unemployed youths in the region by connecting them to skill development programmes.

KVIC has judiciously chosen bamboo for developing green patches. Bamboos grow very fast and in about three years’ time, they could be harvested.

Bamboos are also known for conserving water and reducing evaporation of water from the land surface, which is an important feature in arid and drought-prone regions.