National
Smriti Irani suggests using jute in infra, smart city projects (Lead)
Kolkata, Feb 28 (IANS) Pitching for diversification of jute products, Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani on Wednesday said there is a need to look at the potential of jute for the building of smart cities and infrastructure.
“Today, when we talk about diversification of jute products, we look at not only card holder, shopping bag, etc., but also look at the potential of jute for building of smart cities and infrastructure,” she said at the 27th Technological Conference organised by the Indian Jute Industries’ Research Association (IJIRA).
According to her, the industry stands at Rs 10,000 crore at valuation but has a huge potential to grow.
Emphasising on the need for research and development in geo-textiles, she said the scientific data can infuse confidence in industry partners and ministries like Road Transport and also provide enough impetus to include geo-textiles for building infrastructure.
With the intervention of IJIRA’s ‘Subhra’, a biochemical formulation, the industry has seen the faster jute retting process and the labour intensity for retting has come down to 7-10 days, Irani said.
Along with the reducing number of manhours in the retting process, the formulation ensured the grade of jute output has increased by 1-1.5 times, she said.
She also touched upon the need for improvement of quality raw jute.
“We are the biggest producer of jute. But why would not we compete at the same level with Bangladesh? If you look at the Bangladesh business model, they have diversified jute products,” she said.
Speaking at an interactive session here on Tuesday late evening, she said, “On the Indian Jute Industry, why would not you diversify in terms of product range as much as Bangladesh does? The industry said the problem begins with the quality of raw jute.”
According to Irani, jute has been used for the building of roads and studies have validated the life-span of the roads increases with the use of jute materials. The golden fibre has also been effective in checking soil erosion.
“We need to emphasise on jute to be used for purposes of building infrastructure purposes, like roads and river embankment,” she said.
In 2017-18 for the minimum support price operation, the Jute Corporation of India has spent Rs 46.78 crore till now.
The Ministry has a scheme for promoting the use of geo-textiles in the northeast and has sanctioned close to Rs 427 crore especially for this initiative, she said.
Irani also said she was in favour of standardisation of technical textiles.
“Our definition of technical textiles varies from the international definition. Hence, I have asked industry associations to come up with definition, parameters which are applicable and acceptable internationally.
“When we talk about influencing the global markets, your standard has to be same with international standard. Then, the acceptability increases,” she added.
–IANS
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Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.
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