ITANAGAR, Feb 1: ‘History of the State could be rewritten with bamboo’ said Secretary Personnel and Health, A.B.Shukla inaugurating the first capacity building programme at Bamboo Processing Centre at Poma today. Praising the qualities of bamboo and it’s potentials in the State to the participants, Shukla said that, ‘Bamboo could become the signature of Arunachal Pradesh and position the State in the national and international bamboo map’.     Briefing the origin of the bamboo processing centre, Director, State Forest Research Institute (SFRI) and Managing Director, Arunachal Pradesh Forest Corporation Limited (APFCL), G.N.Sinha said, ‘self reliance of the villagers of Poma is the main essence from bamboo ‘. Recounting that bamboo is on the centre’s focus for the North-East, Sinha emphasized for taking advantage of the initiative to the participants so that their economic prospects rise. Also, Deputy Manager APFCL, B. Banerjee and Deputy Manager cum nodal officer Poma project, G.Rime, informed on the various aspects of bamboo and urged the participants to take benefit from the programme for better productivity of the Bamboo Processing Centre, Poma.

 The stakeholders of the programme are Raj Bhawan, APFCL, Poma Village Development Society, Cane and Bamboo Technology Centre, Department of Planning and SFRI.  The 41 participants from Poma village participating in the programme will be trained by the members who have undergone Module I training at CBTC Guwahati on last   December. Poma Village Development Society chairperson and anchal samitee member, Techi Ana, expressing her thanks to the project implementing agencies and especially Governor J.J.Singh, informed that the road to the village has vastly improved due to the setting up of the Bamboo Processing Centre. Cashing on the occasion, ASM Techi Ana requested the Secretary health for establishing a Primary HealthCentre at Poma. The Bamboo Processing Centre Poma was the brainchild and initiative of Governor J.J. Singh, who had inaugurated it on August 18th last year. The machineries and equipments of the centre have been setup by incurring Rs.18.5 lakh, Rs.13 lakh for the building structure while Rs. 70 lakh for the road construction to the centre.  The success of the centre at Poma can pave way for setting up other Bamboo Processing Centre at other places in the state. The Poma Village Development Society will own up the centre and accrue income from the semi finished products of the centre while APFCL will back up of the initiative and the CBTC will guarantee cent percent buy back of the products produced.