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Govt. extends compulsory jute packaging for foodgrains, sugar

New Delhi: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on Wednesday extended the mandatory packaging of foodgrains and sugar products in jute bags for the year ending June 2018.

The move will help sustain the core demand for the jute sector and support the livelihood of the workers and farmers dependent on the sector in eastern and north-eastern regions of the country particularly in West Bengal, Bihar, Orissa, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Meghalaya and Tripura.

"The CCEA has extended the mandatory packaging norms under the Jute Packaging Material (JPM) Act, 1987," as per the official statement.

As per the norms, it is compulsory to pack 90 per cent of foodgrains and 20 per cent of sugar products in jute bags.

The decision also mandates, in the first instance, the entire requirement for packing of foodgrains would be placed in jute bags thus, making a provision for 100 per cent packing of foodgrains in jute bags subject to the ability of the jute industry to meet the requirement, the statement added.

The jute industry is predominantly dependent on government, which purchases jute products worth more than Rs. 5,500 crore every year.

Considering nearly 3.7 lakh workers and approximately 40 lakh farmers are dependent for their livelihood on the jute sector, the government said it has been making concerted efforts for the development of the jute sector.

With a view to boost demand in the jute sector, government has imposed Definitive Anti-Dumping Duty on import of jute goods from Bangladesh and Nepal with effect from January 5, 2017, which has provided scope for additional demand of 2 lakh MT of jute goods in the domestic market for the Indian jute industry.

Jute route before swachh survey

Dhanbad: The municipal corporation and Saraidhela Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday distributed more than 300 jute bags among shopkeepers at Steel Gate area in a bid to discourage the use of plastic and to spread awareness about cleanliness.

Dhanbad-based Mrs India Queen of Substance finalist Nidhi Jaiswal also joined DMC commissioner Rajiv Ranjan and additional municipal commissioner Mahesh Kumar Santhalia during the 90-minute drive, conducted ahead of the February 4 field survey for the Swachhata Survekshan.

They urged shopkeepers to dump wet waste into green dustbins and the dry into blue ones. "The Dhanbad corporation authorities assured us that they will provide green and blue dustbins to be put outside shops within a week. But we will also provide dustbins to the shopkeepers through the chamber of commerce or encourage them to purchase dustbins on their own in case of any shortfall in dustbin supply," said Saraidhela Chamber of Commerce president Shivashish Pandey.

He also noted that that shopkeepers of Saraidhela have been practising a plastic ban on their own from July this year, much before the government prohibited use of plastic in the state in September, as part of their own initiative to conserve the environment.

Municipal commissioner Rajiv Ranjan said, "We are trying to expand and strengthen the door-to-door garbage collection drive which is currently on in 23 wards by involving self help groups in the initiative."

"We are also facing some resource crunch in terms of machinery and transport vehicles and are planning to procure large dustbins to be put in commercial as well as residential areas of all the 55 wards of Dhanbad which are spread across five circles-Jharia, Dhanbad, Sindri, Katras and Chatatand," said Ranjan.

He added that a requirement for dustbins would also be sent to BCCL as various areas of the coal giant also fall under the jurisdiction of DMC.

Smriti Irani applauds jute-based sanitary napkins

Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani on Wednesday applauded the low-cost jute based sanitary napkin developed by Indian Jute Industries Research Association (IJIRA) here and asked the body to help promote women entrepreneurship. ''The jute-based sanitary napkins are natural and do not have many chemical interventions compared to normal napkins available. I want IJIRA to make presentations to ministries like women empowerment and rural development to promote women entrepreneurship,'' Irani said at the inauguration of a IJIRA technical seminar.

She said as the machinery requirement for the jute-based sanitary napkins will cost about Rs 10 lakhs, and entrepreneurs can benefit from MUDRA loan scheme of the government.

The Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency (MUDRA) scheme provides refinance support to Banks / MFIs for lending to micro units having loan requirement up to 10 lakh.

IJIRA deputy director S K Chakrabarti said the research in sanitary napkins has reached the commercial exploitation stage. An incubation-cum-training centre was inaugurated by the union minister today at the IJIRA facility.

Chakrabarti said the body is working with self help groups to promote the technology by training women in this new centre. Speaking about jute diversification, Irani said geo-textile is one of the major areas where jute industry can benefit.

The government, she said, has sanctioned Rs 427 crore for use of geo-textiles in the north-east region. The union minister also said the government support will continue to modernise jute industry and farming.

'Subhra' is one such technological intervention by which mandays involved in the extraction of jute fibres are drastically reduced with improved quality. Irani said that for jute MSP operation government has spent Rs 46.86 crore.

Coconut shell handicrafts with a trendy touch

KOCHI: When one takes a look at the beautiful handicrafts displayed at the Bamboo fest, one is taken by the creativtiy of a bunch of local artisans across India who along with 'Urav' initiative and the government of Kerala has taken a step in bringing back our ancestral tradition in mixture with the modern art by recreating wonders using natural products such as bamboo, jute and coconut shells. 'Urav' , a non-governmental organisation mainly focuses on the livelihood generation and holds various training programmes where they train the local people especially women to make different products using natural raw materials.

Bamboo Fest - 2017, a five day programme is a celebration of sustainable culture and living with nature, which is being conducted at Marine Drive by Kerala State Bamboo Mission along with Kerala Bureau of Intellectual Promotion and Government of Kerala. This mega exhibition consists of around 100 stalls and thousands of independent artists across India are part of it.

Bamboo's natural elegance and easy availability makes it a prior choice material when it comes to handicrafts. From making buttons to baskets, from mats to musical instruments, from toys to walking sticks, bamboo is used. Apart from the age old merchandise the innovative minds have moved forward to bags, lampshades, washable murals, accessories, jewellery, decor and even vehicles. But still the industry and the craftsmen face a lot of challenges.

A vendor said, "Even though we are accepted as artists, we are not recognised enough or are not eligible for the proper remuneration and aids from the government".The artwork based on the theme 'five elements'-Sky, air, water, fire and earth is yet another wonder by talented artist C P Lenin, one of the major designers of the 'Urav' initiative. Almost all of the products exhibited are crafted by the local craftsmen from Wayanad. Apart from handcrafted materials, the fest also features food items using bamboo shoots and other natural ingredients. The food stall 'Kudumbasree Cafe' run by Kudumbasree self help groups, features a bunch of local recipes.

As the 13th edition of the bamboo fest is coming to a closure , these artists from all over India have opined that the human kind will have a more bright future if we love and live with nature and conserve these natural products.