Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday (April 26) highlighted the growing transformation of the bamboo sector in Nagaland and the wider Northeast, saying reforms that overturned “British-era laws” have opened new avenues for employment, business and innovation across the region. He made the remarks during the 133rd episode of his monthly radio programme Mann Ki Baat.
Modi described the Northeast as “Ashtalakshmi,” a region of abundant talent and natural beauty, and said the programme has frequently featured the region’s achievements; this episode focused on the resurgence of the bamboo economy. He said that under colonial-era rules bamboo had been treated as a tree, triggering strict regulations that hampered transport and trade and discouraged entrepreneurship.
According to the Prime Minister, the legal change in 2017 that removed bamboo from the tree category has helped revive the sector, particularly in the Northeast, where people are now innovating and adding value to bamboo products. He presented the policy shift as a turning point that enabled greater market access and business activity.
Modi cited concrete examples from Nagaland and other Northeastern states. He said several self-help groups in and around Dimapur have begun producing value-added bamboo food products, while local teams such as Khorolo Creative Crafts are making furniture and handicrafts from bamboo. He also mentioned entrepreneurs from Tripura — Bijoy Sutradhar and Pradeep Chakraborty — who embraced the reform, integrated technology into their work, and improved product quality.
The Prime Minister referred to initiatives in other states as well: in Mamit district practitioners are pursuing bamboo tissue culture and poly-house management, and in Sikkim the Lagastal Bamboo Enterprise is manufacturing handicrafts, incense sticks, furniture and interior décor items. These, he said, show bamboo is shifting from being seen as a burden to becoming a source of livelihoods and enterprise.
Modi emphasized that women have been among the biggest beneficiaries of the sector’s expansion, and he urged citizens to support local producers by buying and gifting bamboo products from the Northeast to encourage artisans and workers.
Beyond bamboo, Modi’s address touched on national developments including advances in wind and nuclear energy, wildlife conservation efforts, the digitisation initiative Abhilekh Patal (abhilekh-patal.in), Indian students’ performance at the European Girls’ Mathematical Olympiad, preparations for Census 2027, and the growing global recognition of Indian dairy products and regional cheeses.
Original Source: https://www.morungexpress.com/bamboo-driving-employment-business-and-innovation-in-nagaland-ne-pm-modi
Category: Nagaland
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Publish Date: 2026-04-26 23:44:00
