GOVERNOR’S SECRETARIAT
ARUNACHAL PRADESH
ITANAGAR

IPR (PR) 3/2009                                                                 Dated Naharlagun, July 8, 2009

PRESS RELEASE NO. 609

Governor visits Capacity Building Project on
Bamboo Industries in Poma Village

Itanagar July 8: The Governor visited Poma village where the Arunachal Pradesh Forest Corporation Limited is implementing a Project on Capacity Building on Production of Bamboo Based Industrial Intermediates. He was accompanied with D.V. Negi, PCCF and Principal Secretary (Environment & Forests), G.N. Sinha, Managing Director, A.P. Forest Corporation and Director, SFRI and Gumtum Rime, Nodal Officer of Poma project, ADC and EAC Papum Pare, T. Sira, D.F.O., Banderdewa Forest Division and officials of Government Departments. The Governor inspected the implementation of the project and appreciated the officials of the A.P. Forest Corporation Ltd. and State Forest Research Institute for their good work. He congratulated Mrs. Techi Anna, Anchal Samiti Member, Poma, Gaon Burhas and people of Poma village for getting the novel project on bamboo applications and exhorted them to extend their wholehearted cooperation to the Forest Corporation in speedy implementation of the project. G.N. Sinha briefed the Governor about the concept of the project. The Governor also addressed Poma villagers and explained the rationale of the project and also stated that he wanted to make Poma a model village in the state where all kinds of development schemes are taken up. He also assured that he will use his good offices to provide better road connectivity to Poma village. Gumtum Rime, Dooda Ete and Ms. Asia Moyong of the Forest Corporation discussed the finer details of the project and received his guidance. D.V. Negi and Techi Anna thanked the Governor for taking pains to visit the project site in Poma village.

            The Governor has been keen for development of bamboo based industrial enterprises in this state. He has visited many States in the North-East and has seen good development of bamboo applications in Tripura and Nagaland. He is of the view that this State should also develop its bamboo sector on similar lines. For this purpose, a pilot project should be started which may be copied at other places in the State. It was in this context that Poma village near Itanagar was identified for starting a pilot project on capacity building of the Poma villagers in production of bamboo based industrial requirements which are in demand by the bamboo based industries in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.

            He is further of the view that the project should not be run by a government agency. He wanted the project to be run by the Poma village itself. For this purpose the idea to constitute a Poma Village Development Society was also mooted. The project on capacity building involves training of entrepreneurs and farmers on production of bamboo industrial intermediates of different kinds which are in demand by bamboo based industries. The trainees will also be given tool kits after acquiring necessary skills in production of various bamboo industrial intermediates like slivers and mats etc. The Poma villagers will produce bamboo based industrial intermediates in bulk which will be sold on 100% buy back guarantee basis to the Industries in Arunachal and Assam. The buy back guarantee will be arranged by APFCL through CBTC. All profits due to sale of bamboo based industrial intermediates will go to the villagers and the society in the ratio of 90:10. This pattern of profit sharing will strengthen the society to expand the scale of the operations.

            For achieving the above objectives, government funds allotted to APFCL is being used to procure machinery through CBTC and necessary infrastructure of building for installing the machinery is also being put in place by APFCL through the Poma Village Development Society. All the assets of the project will be handed over to the Poma Village Development Society which will own and maintain them through a core Committee called the Executive Committee.

The role of the Forest Corporation will be that of facilitator only and not as a permanent implementing agency of the project. The Forest Corporation will slowly remove itself from the scene after the Society takes over the project. However, the Corporation will be responsible for holding the training programme. The Forest Corporation will formally enter into an MoU with the Poma Village Development Society before handing over the assets of the project to them. The MoU will be signed by MD, APFCL and the Poma Village Development Society. The Secretary to Governor and Planning will sign the MOU as witness. The project should be made operational by 15 August 2009.

Sd/-DIPR