Lok Sabha Question No. 2503 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-12-26
Subject: Developing Bamboo Based Products
Ministry: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: S. RAJENDRAN, KUNWAR HARIBANSH SINGH, VIJAY KUMAR S.R., SUDHEER GUPTA, T. RADHAKRISHNAN

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2503 TO BE ANSWERED ON 26/12/2018

## DEVELOPING BAMBOO BASED PRODUCTS

2503. SHRI S. RAJENDRAN: KUNWAR HARIBANSH SINGH: SHRI S.R. VIJAYAKUMAR: SHRI SUDHEER GUPTA:

SHRI T. RADHAKRISHNAN:

Will the Minister of SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ÉÊ´ÉYÉÉxÉ +ÉÉè® |ÉÉètÉÉäÉÊMÉBÉEÉÒ àÉÆjÉÉÒ

be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Ministry has implemented the programmes to develop value added bamboo based products, technology and  processing  to  improve  innovation,  design  capability  and  facilitate  industry  laboratory  linkages  and  if  so,  the  details thereof;
- (b) whether the Government has been able to achieve its objectives and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the details of the funds allocated/ spent during each of the last three years and the current year, State/UT-wise and the number of entrepreneurs trained during the said period; and
- (d) the steps taken/being taken by the Government to popularize the use of bamboo products by common man of the country?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, MINISTER OF EARTH SCIENCES AND MINISTER OF

## ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE (DR. HARSH VARDHAN) ÉÊ´ÉYÉÉxÉ +ÉÉè® |ÉÉètÉÉäÉÊMÉBÉEÉÒ àÉÆjÉÉÒ, {Éßl´ÉÉÒ ÉÊ´ÉYÉÉxÉ àÉÆjÉÉÒ +ÉÉè® {ÉªÉÉÇ´É®hÉ, ´ÉxÉ A´ÉÆ VÉãÉ´ÉÉªÉÖ {ÉÉÊ®´ÉiÉÇxÉ àÉÆjÉÉÒ

(bÉ. c­ÉÇ ´ÉvÉÇxÉ)

- (a) Yes,  Madam.  The  Ministry  has  implemented  the  National  Mission  on  Bamboo  Applications  (NMBA)  which  was approved by the Cabinet in 2004. This Technology Mission was implemented during the Tenth Plan by the Ministry through Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC), an autonomous body of Department of Science & Technology (DST). The basic mandate of the Mission was to provide impetus to the bamboo sector and facilitate realization of its  considerable potential: (i)  To develop value added based products, practices, technology and processes, (ii) To promote innovative design capabilities and fabrication techniques, (iii) To improve industry-lab-user linkages, (iv) To develop small & medium enterprises and (v) To empower people and communities. The Mission functioned as a catalyst and a demonstrator of technologies & processes; a knowledge repository; a facilitator; and in pivotal areas as an implementer. The Mission provided Technology  Development  Assistance  to  more  than  100  bamboo  processing  units  spread  across  the  country  with  majority being in the North Eastern States due to large availability of bamboo. The activities undertaken by entrepreneurs include stick making, mat weaving, flooring, mat boards, blinds, charcoal, bamboo shoot processing, etc.
- (b) In view of the successes and achievements of the Mission, it was extended for the entire duration of the Eleventh Plan by the Cabinet. As the Mission had finite life, co-terminus with the Plan period, it was decided to give it an organizational status  for  being  able  to  provide  support  to  the  bamboo  sector  on  a  sustainable  basis  apart  from  other  technologies. Accordingly,  Cabinet  at  its  meeting  in  June  2012  approved  the  formation  of  the  North  East  Centre  for  Technology Application and Reach (NECTAR). The Cabinet also approved the subsuming of all the activities and assets of NMBA into NECTAR. The Centre was formed as an autonomous society under DST.
- (c) There was no provision under NMBA nor there is a mandate for NECTAR to make state/UT-wise allocations. The supply of proper variety of bamboo reduced drastically during last 6-7 years so no new units came up. Therefore, there was no funding during 12 th plan and thereafter. More than 11000 entrepreneurs have been trained in different programmes/activities  during  the  period  from  2004-2014.  The  economic  activity  generated  as  a  result  of  the  training programmes was of the order of Rs 20 crores.

The restructured National Bamboo Mission (NBM) has been launched in April, 2018 with an outlay of Rs.1290 crore for two year i.e till the end of 14 th Finance Commission under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer's Welfare. An amount of  Rs.111.05 crore has been released to States/Agencies during the year 2018-19(till 19.12.2018). State wise details of funds released under the restructured National Bamboo Mission (NBM) are at Annexure-I.

- (d) The scheme is being implemented in non-forest Government land and private farmers field & States where it has social,  commercial  and  economical  advantage,  including  the  bamboo  rich  States  of  North  Eastern  reason  and  in  Madhya Pradesh,  Maharashtra,  Chhattisgarh,    Odisha,  Karnataka,  Uttarakhand,  Bihar,  Jharkhand,  Andhra  Pradesh,  Telangana, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.  It focuses on the development of complete value chain of bamboo sector to link growers with consumers and to support the development of entire value chain starting from planting material, plantation, creation of facilities for collection, aggregation, processing marketing, micro, small & medium enterprises, skill development and brand building initiative in a cluster approach mode.

State wise details of funds released under the National Bamboo Mission (NBM)* during the year 2018-19

| Name of State     | Amount in Lakhs   | Amount in Lakhs             |
|-------------------|-------------------|-----------------------------|
|                   | Allocation        | Released (as on 19.12.2018) |
| Assam             | 2315.00           | 500.00                      |
| Arunachal Pradesh | 2252.00           | 1127.43                     |
| Manipur           | 899.74            | 450.00                      |
| Mizoram           | 1895.00           | 950.00                      |
| Nagaland          | 1247.64           | 623.83                      |
| Sikkim            | 689.00            | 344.45                      |
| Tripura           | 2459.00           | 1230.00                     |
| Andhra Pradesh    | 1184.00           | 710.41                      |
| Jharkhand         | 641.00            | 320.81                      |
| Karnataka         | 1678.00           | 1000.00                     |
| Kerala            | 828.00            | 580.00                      |
| Madhya Pradesh    | 2123.00           | 1062.00                     |
| Maharashtra       | 1994.00           | 1192.59                     |
| Uttarakhand       | 1440.00           | 691.00                      |
| ICFRE, FRI        | 306.00            | 102.05                      |
| NHB - Gurugram    | 60.00             | 30.00                       |
| CBTC-Guwahati     | 367.00            | 183.65                      |
| IPIRTI            | 5.00              | 5.00                        |
| IWST              | 2.00              | 2.00                        |
| TOTAL             | 22385.38          | 11105.22                    |

* restructured National Bamboo Mission is operational from the year 2018-19

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