Chandrapur bamboo week discusses rural jobs, industry with expert guidance
Forest officials, scientists and entrepreneurs guided sessions on the second day of World Bamboo Week 2026 at Chandrapur's Van Prabodhini.
A session was held on the second day of World Bamboo Week-2026 at Chandrapur's Van Prabodhini. Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests R. M. Ramanujam said bamboo-based industries hold great promise ahead, but this requires coordination between the forest department, research institutions, industry and farmers.
Ramanujam said bamboo should not be seen merely as something to be planted, but as a means of sustainable livelihood. It increases employment at the local level and also strengthens the village economy. He said this while presiding over the programme.
The week, themed "Bamboo for the Future: From Tradition to Innovation", is running from September 14 to 18. Its aim is to connect bamboo with science, research, new technology, sustainable development, value addition and innovation, rather than limiting it to traditional use alone. In various sessions on the second day, senior forest department officers, scientists, researchers, professors, entrepreneurs and bamboo sector experts provided guidance.
Those present on the occasion included Umesh Verma, Director of the Bamboo Research and Training Centre, Chichpalli, and Additional Director (Training) of Chandrapur Van Prabodhini; Dr. Lal Singh, senior scientist at NEERI Nagpur; Ayush Raj Sinha, senior manager (strategy) at New Era Clean Tech Solutions Pvt. Ltd., Bhadravati; Dr. Tarika Dagadkar, professor in the architecture department at SMMCA Nagpur; Vishwanath Chavan, deputy director of Chandrapur Van Prabodhini; Hanumant Jadhav; Ashwini Jadhav; session coordinators Sambhaji Gawli and Ramdas Pujari; Satish Shende, forest range officer, BRTC; and Vaibhav Mogrekar, CEO of Gyan Prabodhini Innovation Foundation, Pune.
In his introductory remarks, Umesh Verma explained the thinking behind organising World Bamboo Week and shared information on various schemes being run by BRTC. Ayush Raj Sinha spoke on sustainable bamboo development, new technology and future prospects in the industry sector. He said a strong link needs to be built to carry technology emerging from research to actual industry and the market.
Dr. Lal Singh gave guidance on environmental restoration and ecosystem conservation through bamboo. He said bamboo can be used more effectively to balance environmental and economic needs. Vaibhav Mogrekar gave guidance on the topic "New Direction for Bamboo through Value Addition".
In addition, Anil Chowk of Sanjeevani Agro Machinery, Nagpur; Dr. Gunjan Patil of Bilaspur; Dr. Bhupesh Giridharan of Nagaland; and Shravan Kumar Chivukula of Telangana gave guidance on various bamboo-related topics online.
The programme was conducted by BRTC supervisor Yogita Sathwane and department head Sumedh Lichade. Retired assistant conservator of forests Ramdas Pujari proposed the vote of thanks. Teachers and students from Dr. Ambedkar College, Sardar Patel College, Sushilabai Mamidwar Social Work College, Janata College, FES Girls' College and Rajiv Gandhi College were present in large numbers. Certificates were also distributed to students who took part.
