Govt plans National Jute Board to rectify 'systemic ills'

The government has decided to rectify the systemic ills of lack of co-ordination among the several jute-related organisations under different ministries and departments by setting up a National Jute Board.

This will synthesise various layers of governmental decision-making, according to the Jute Policy announced late March.

"The setting up of National Jute Board has been a long standing demand of Indian Jute Mills Association as, instead of various departments and ministries, now only one department will supervise the developments in jute industry. The board will be in a position to solve the problems quickly," said Sanjay Kajaria, former chairman of the association.

Kajaria said the setting up of National Jute Board will help jute growers, the industry, and the government and should be set up on a priority basis.

The jute policy announced on March 29 said the new body would subsume, merge, and integrate the functions of various institutions like jute Manufacture Development Council and National Centre for Jute Diversification under the ministry of textiles.

The board's mandate is also to subsume and revamp the office of the Jute Commissioner and transform it from an office of regulation to a facilitator of development in the jute sector.

It will also thrive to strengthen and restructure Jute Corporation of India so as to make it a vibrant organisation for effective market intervention, ensure reasonable returns to jute growers, and timely supply of quality fibre to manufacturers.

Besides working towards establishing a Jute Research and Development fund and venture capital assistance fund, the board will also examine possibility of establishing a National Institute of Natural Fibres in India to prevent duplication of efforts and harmonise development and promotional activities pertaining to all natural fibres.

The board will also attempt to operationalise, execute, and monitor the proposed Jute Technology Mission and establish a National Jute and Jute Textile Museum.

Jute and its allied sectors are the backbone of West Bengal's economy in terms of employment opportunity, as about four million people are directly related with the industry. Export earnings from jute and jute textile was Rs 10 billion in 2003-04.