Tribal village in Arunachal Pradesh to get a makeover

After successful implementation of Khadi activities in remote parts of the country like village Likir in Leh, Bali island in Sundarban (West Bengal) to empower the poorest of the poor in remotely located parts of the country, now Khadi and Village Industries Commission(KVIC) is all set to start a khadi spinning and weaving center and bee keeping activities in a record three months' time, in tribal village Chullyu under Lower Subansiri district in Arunachal Pradesh.

Chullyu, is a beautiful village located around 115 km from Itanagar and 30 km from Ziro. It is inhabited by environment conscious Khadi clad tribal population, mostly involved in organic farming of high quality fruits and vegetables etc.

Chairman KVIC, VK Saxena, during his visit to the village said, "Aligned with the vision of our Prime Minister Narendra Modi, KVIC seeks to reach out and empower those regions of the country which have never been approached before by earlier governments. It is our endeavor to bring an actual change in the country by reviving the rural talents and giving rural citizens an equal opportunity. This is exactly what Bapu would have wanted KVIC to do."

After high level meetings by the Chairman KVIC , Saxena with the Governor B D Mishra, the Minister of Agriculture Tage Taki and the Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar, KVIC is planning to create job opportunities on mission mode in Arunachal Pradesh.

Highlighting the untapped potential and a planned development of the region Saxena said, "The residents of Chullyu not only adorn Khadi as their daily wear, but also use environmental friendly skills for cooking and serving food in banana leaves, using bamboo made glasses and cups for drinking water and tea etc. in their day-to-day lives, which is quiet impressive."

"The villagers usually purchase their Khadi fabric from Assam, as there is no Khadi production unit in the state."

"Chullyu, being located at the foothills of Himalayas has the potential of producing premium quality honey. The Khadi spinning and weaving center will fulfill the local needs of the villagers and also generate sustainable source of income at their doorsteps. Khadi Center will start with 25 charkhas and five looms, which will provide direct employment to 35 women. Bee keeping activities in the village will start by providing 200 Bee Boxes to 20

farmers after the training. We further aim to develop Chullyu as a Khadi Tourism destination in the North East", said Saxena.

Appreciating the initiative taken by KVIC, head of the Chullyu village Taba Pumtu said, "It is the first time ever that an organization has come as a savior for us. The holistic development being provided by KVIC will go a long way in helping Chullyu in establishing its name on the Indian map."