BHUBANESWAR, Odisha: A tripartite memorandum of understanding was signed among the Department of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of Odisha; Department of Handloom, Textiles and Handicraft (HT&H), Government of Odisha; and Central Silk Board, Bengaluru for the ‘Vanya Silk Programme’.
The Vanya silk programme is a five-year scheme through which the state government is looking to improve the financial standing of the tribal population and forest dwellers in the state. This MoU will be the first step in the implementation of the Odisha Tusser Silk Development Project, crucial for the development of the forest dweller as they will adopt sericulture farming. Plantation of Asan and Arjuna food plants will come under the ambit of Tusser forestry activities. It will be done through Mission Shakti women’s self-help groups (WSHG) that will lead to the empowerment of women and will generate additional employment in the state.
HT&H’s sericulture wing will provide technical support to the local level sericulture activities and marketing of Tusser cocoon through 59 Primary Tusser Rearer Cooperative Society (PTRCS).