KVIC launches Project BOLD in Leh-Ladakh
Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) on Wednesday launched Project BOLD in Leh-Ladakh. Project Bold is the first ever initiative to develop green cover over barren lands in the Himalayan terrains of Leh-Ladakh by planting bamboo saplings.
In a joint exercise,KVIC and the Forest Department of Leh-Ladakh with support from ITBP, planted 1000 bamboo saplings at Village Chuchot in Leh over 2.50 lakh square feet of barren forest land that has remained unutilized so far.
The bamboo plantation was launched byKVIC Chairman Shri Vinai Kumar Saxena in presence of local Councillors, Gram Sarpanch and ITBP officials.
This bamboo patch in Leh will create a sustainable model of development by supporting local rural and bamboo-based industries. A large quantity of Agarbatti is used in monasteries which are largely brought from other states. These Bamboo trees can be used for developing local Agarbatti industry in Leh.
It will further support other bamboo-based industries such as furniture, handicraft, musical instruments and paper pulp and create sustainable employment for locals. The bamboo waste can be used in making charcoal and fuel briquette that will ensure fuel availability during harsh winters in Leh.
Also, Bamboo emits 30% more oxygen than other plants which is an added advantage in high altitude regions which is always short of oxygen.
Project BOLD
Project BOLD or Bamboo Oasis on Lands in Drought aims to create bamboo-based green patches of land in arid and semi-arid zones. The first of its kind exercise in India, project BOLD was launched on July 4 from the tribal village Nichla Mandwa in Udaipur, Rajasthan.
Under the project, 5000 saplings of special bamboo species – Bambusa Tulda and Bambusa Polymorpha from Assam were planted on approximately 16 acres of vacant arid Gram Panchayat land. With this, KVIC also created a world record of planting the highest number of bamboo saplings on a single day at one location.
Part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav
The initiative has been launched as part of KVIC’s “Khadi Bamboo Festival” to celebrate 75 years of independence “Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav”. Under Project BOLD, KVIC has so far planted 12,000 bamboo saplings (including 1000 in Leh) over 17.37 lakh square feet of arid land at three places – Village Nichla Mandwa in Udaipur, Village Dholera in Ahmadabad, Village Tanot in Jaisalmer districts and Village Chuchot in Leh.
