Use jute bags for raising nurseries instead of plastic to check pollution: NAFSCOB chairman

K M Dayashankar

Encourage women SHGs manufacturing jute and cloth bags and also eradicate plastic from society

Jute bags dissolve in soil after planting along with the sapling and save mother nature from pollution

KARIMNAGAR: Konduru Ravinder Rao, chairman of NAFSCOB, TSCAB and Karimnagar DCCB, has urged upon the officials to use the jute and cloth bags for packing the nursery saplings of the ambitious Haritha haram programme to check pollution and discourage the use of plastics. Besides, the use of jute bags would also encourage women empowerment programmes, he pointed out.

The state government had taken up Haritha haram programme and accordingly developed nurseries in each and every village. It is surprising to observe that the saplings are nurtured in the plastic bags and causing pollution, he said and informed the authorities to use only jute or cloth bags, which will dissolve in the soil and protect the Mother Nature from pollution. Besides, the use of jute bags would also encourage the economic activities of the women self-help groups, he maintained.

Mr Rao was participating in the credit linkage programme of women SHG members of Saidapur mandal, who were given 45-days training in the making of jute and cloth bags by the NABARD as part of the Livelihood entrepreneurship development programme (LEDP) at the Karimnagar District Cooperative Central Bank (DCCB) main branch in Karimnagar town on Tuesday.

On this occasion, the DCCB had provided financial assistance of Rs 23 lakhs to 90 SHG women. Each woman would purchase a Juki sewing machine and necessary raw material to produce jute and cloth bags and the NABARD in coordination with the Jana Vikas rural development society (NGO) would help in providing the marketing support.

Speaking on the occasion, the NAFSCOB chairman said that the plastic should go away from the district with the manufacturing of the jute and cloths bag by the women SHG members. He informed the officials to examine the feasibility of using jute and cloth bags for raising the nurseries to check pollution and help economic empowerment of womenfolk.

He assured to provide more financial assistance to the womenfolk and called upon them to open savings bank accounts in the KDCCB to secure a high rate of interest. He also said that the Karimnagar DCCB alone was paying the insurance premiums for the Pradan Manthri Suraksha Bhima Yojana (PMBSY) scheme. He also informed the womenfolk to promote their brand of jute and cloth bags among the people of the district and other parts of the state.

CEO N Satyanarayana Rao said that the women SHGs have won accolades from all banks for their prompt repayment and promised to provide financial assistance under the PM employment generation programme with 35 per cent subsidy. NABARD DDMs P Ananth and P Manohar Reddy, DCCB general manager B Sridhar, Saidapur branch manager Aswini and others were also present.

hindudayashankar