6.1 The Cottage and Rural
Industries sector is the very bedrock of industrial development. It is
this sector which contributes significantly to the industrialisation of
far flung rural areas. The development of this sector is necessary for
diversifying economic activity in rural areas, reducing pressure on land,
and for effectively the challenge of unemployment and underemployment.
6.2 Action Groups will be
formed at the block, district and divisional levels. These Action Groups
comprising officials and non-officials, will include eminent public persons,
as well as, representatives of entrepreneurs and panchayats. These groups
will be in touch with each other, pool their information, disseminate it
among entrepreneurs and recommend measures for facilitating and strengthening
rural industrialisation. The Working Group at the divisional level will
also be in touch with the State Government and agencies of the Government
of India, as well as voluntary organisations on matters like new technologies,
linkages, export possibilities and opportunities for cottage and rural
industrial units. The divisional level action Groups will be in close and
continuous touch with Action Group at the district and block levels and
will from time to time review the work being done by them.
6.3 Four thousand individuals
will be trained every year for the next three years in the khadi &
village industries sector, handlooms, handicrafts and leather crafts. They
will be provided with necessary tools and instruments to help them gain
employment.
6.4 It will be the government's
endeavour to provide one lakh eighty thousand individuals with direct employment
in village industries.
6.5 A project based approach
will be encouraged with a view to systematise rural industrialisation.
Towards this end efforts will be made to implement the district rural industries
project of NABARD in a phased manner. Efforts will be made to implement
the project in tribal districts.
6.6 Efforts will be made
to provide a viable linkage of the Cottage & Rural Industries sector
with sources of raw materials, marketing outlets and financial institutions.
6.7 The Madhya Pradesh Laghu
Udyog Nigam will explore the marketing possibilities for products of Cottage
and Rural industries. The Store Purchase Rules will be amended and selected
items will be reserved for the Cottage and Rural industries sector.
6.8 It will be ensured that
Government purchase of all types of fabrics are made from the Madhya Pradesh
Khadi & Gramodyog Board, the Madhya Pradesh Handloom Cooperative Society
and the Madhya Pradesh State Textile Corporation.
6.9 Entrepreneurs in the
Cottage and Rural industries sector will be encouraged to form marketing
co-operatives.
6.10 Government will formulate
special schemes for encouraging production and marketing activities by
entrepreneurs belonging to Scheduled Castes, Schedule Tribes and Other
Backward Classes.
6.11 Special attention will
be paid to develop the silk industry. In order to give viable concrete
shape to the approach of soil to silk, all possible facilities will be
provided for every aspect like mulberry plantation, rearing of silk worms
and reeling of cocoons. The area under the mulberry development programme
will be increased. The employment potential of silk industry will be tapped
to provide more employment opportunities for the people. The silk centre
established in the State will be utilised in the form of technical service
centres, extension centres and seed production centres. Village panchayats
will be actively involved in the development of silk industry. Production
of cocoons in the private sector will be given priority. For this subsidies
and loans will be given to cultivators. Till such time as proper arrangements
are not in place for purchase of cocoons in the private sector cocoons
will be purchased from cultivators at a support price. An inter-departmental
committee will be set up to determine the support price. This committee
will include not only official members but also representatives of cocoons
producers. The private sector will be encouraged to set up reeling units.
Women in rural areas will be trained, under the Sericulture Directorate
reeling Scheme, for hand reeling, reeling through charkhas and cottage
basins. An inter-departmental committee will be set up to determine the
price of cocoons for reeling units. The results of research carried out
by the Central Silk Board will be examined in the research centres at Indore
and Bastar. International cooperation will be sought for the all round
development of the silk industry.
6.12 Tusser seed centres
will be strengthened. In order to increase the rearing of tusser worms,
extensive plantation of Saja and Arjun plants will be undertaken with the
help of the forest department. The Raily variety of natural tusser cocoon
will be produced not only in Bastar but also in other districts under sal
forests. Rural women will be trained in reeling of tusser on machines.
Handloom weavers of the State will be encouraged to use the tusser thread
for producing fabrics. An inter-departmental committee will be set up to
determine the support price to be paid to tusser cocoon producers. Besides
officials, the committee will also include the representatives of tusser
cocoon producers. The committee will determine the support price every
year in June. An inter-departmental committee will also be constituted
to determine the sale price of tusser cocoon to weavers. Representatives
of weavers will be included in this committee.
6.13 The technology of khadi
& village industries will be upgraded to increase their viability.
The traditional technology of cottage industries will be modernised. The
Madhya Pradesh Khadi & Village Industries Board will make available
raw material to village industries and also make arrangements for the marketing
of their produce. An effort will be made to establish one thousand eight
hundred units every year through the Madhya Pradesh Khadi & Village
Industries Board.
6.14 Government will pay
close attention to the development of the Handloom Sector Yarn will be
made available to weavers at a fair price and the programme for modernising
handlooms will be expanded. Weavers will be provided with Sahe Capital
Subsidy through cooperative societies. General Insurance Scheme, Savings
Schemes and Health Schemes for weavers will be expanded.
6.15 In accordance with the
policy of the Government of India, five thousand handloom weavers engaged
in the production of Janata garments will be provided training for skills
upgradation by the end of the Eighth Five Year Plan, so that they are able
to produce high quality handloom fabrics.
6.16 Those handloom weavers'
cooperative societies which have exhausted their credit limits and are
unable to provide employment opportunities to their members will be rehabilitated
so that, they become viable once again and provide employment opportunities
to their members.
6.17 Yarn depots will be
set up in areas with a concentration of weavers so that, yarn is available
at a fair price to handloom weavers throughout the year.
6.18 Dyeing and printing
facilities will be developed in the State for handloom fabrics, so that
more employment opportunities are generated for those engaged in these
sectors.
6.19 Government, handloom
training centres in the State will be developed in the form of development
and research centres. The level of training will be upgraded.
6.20 The work of modernising
old handlooms will continue. Efforts will be made to technologically upgrade
traditional units.
6.21 The Madhya Pradesh Handicrafts
Development Corporation will organise intensive training programmes for
village artisans. The Corporation will assist artisans in buying modern
tools and establishing modern workshops. The Corporation will ensure regular
supply of raw material and expansion of marketing facilities for their
produce.
6.22 The Madhya Pradesh Handicrafts
Development Corporation will be the nodal agency for handicrafts development,
Every craftsperson will be given a pass book in which will be entered details
of grant, loan, training and tools which have been given.
6.23 With a view to developing
the Carpet Industry, private entrepreneurs will be encouraged to set up
wool and dyeing plants.
6.24 Craft persons will be
encouraged to upgrade their skills, adopt new technique and develop new
designs so that they can produce utility and art handicrafts in keeping
with market demands.
6.25 There is tremendous
potential in the State for the development of leather crafts in rural areas.
The export potential of leather produce can open new vistas of development
for rural areas. A training centre will be established to train rural leather
workers in order to help them increase the marketability of their produce.
The Madhya Pradesh Leather Development Corporation will strengthen collection
centres and marketing arrangements and establish a network of modern tanneries.
6.26 The situation in the
powerloom industry in Burhanpur, Jabalpur and other towns will be reviewed
and a time bound action plan will be drawn up for the developmetn of this
sector.
6.27 Cultivators hitherto
required permission of the Forest Department to cut bamboo planted in their
fields or courtyards. This restriction has now been removed. Cultivators
can now cut bamboo planted in their fields or courtyards without the permission
of the Forest Department . In those 23 districts, where there is natural
growth of bamboo, the permission for transportation of the produce will
now be given by the gram panchayat. In the other 22 districts, the permission
will be given by rangers. This will greatly encourage bamboo based crafts.
6.28 To facilitate the rehabilitation
of displaced persons from inundated areas, displaced persons, if they so
desire, will be trained, provided with assistance and encouraged to set
up their own rural industrial units.
