The Chhattisgarh Government to provide livelihood for people residing in rural pockets of the state is planning to massively increase production of Kosa-Silk. Chief Secretary Vivek Dhand has written letters to all district collectors in this regard. A committee would be formed in every district to implement the plan.

In fact, the Chhattisgarh Government is drawing up an elaborate five-year plan for promotion of Kosa-Silk production in the State. All district collectors are requested to prepare a report on production prospects of Kosa and Silk in their respective regions.

The Chief Secretary stated that priority should be given to plantation of Kauha ( Arjun) and Saja saplings for promoting Kosa-Silk production. He said that the officials must identify nurseries in advance for proposed plantations during the forthcoming monsoon season. Dhand said that Kosa-Cocoon production would be profitable when the training for threads and weaving is given at the site of Kosa production.

The Chief Secretary has directed the officials to promote plantation of Kosa saplings and select location for the nurseries. Besides this, State Horticulture Department on the regular basis will host technical and training programme for the persons involved in the Kosa and Silk trade.

He also directed to constitute women self help groups (SHGs) under National Rural Livelihood Mission to promote production Kosa and Silk in the State. It may be mentioned that Chhattisgarh now has one ‘Raw Material Bank’ for Tussar silk established in Raigarh district, according to the 2013-14 annual report of the Union Ministry of Textiles. The primary objective of the ‘Raw Material Bank’ is to ensure economic and fair price for the primary Tussar Silk growers, it stated.

In Chhattisgarh, Silk farming as become an additional source of income for the farmers of insurgency infested Bastar district, officials informed. Taking benefit of the silk development schemes of the Village Industries Department of the State government, the villagers of the district have proved it by their hard work, officials stated. Abundant production of Tussar Kosa cocoons has been taken up in the natural Saal forests of the district.

Besides, Shahtuti silk is cultivated in the villages. The Silk Directorate has been providing jobs to 300 families, working as various self-help groups (SHGs), in the Tussar Seed Production Centre, in Chapka village of the district. Every year, about 12 lakh Tussar (Kosa) silk cocoons bred on Arjun trees in the 68-hectare area of the Tasar Seed Production Centre.

With this, beneficiaries of 60 families get additional income of about Rs24,000. Besides, about 250 other families are linked with this Tassar Seed Production Centre, which take seeds from here and cultivates kosa cocoons on the natural Saal forests. Arjun saplings were planted in the 10-acre land of Silk Directorate in Bade Garvand village, in which the self-help group (SHG) Ma Vamandei Kosa Krimi Palan had been farming Tasar Kosa.

The Silk Centre operated in Bade Marenga village of the district is also playing an important role in making villagers self-reliant economically. In 30-acre land of this Centre, which is about 20 years old, about half-a-dozen women self-help groups have been farming silkworm on the Shahtut plants. Every year Mulberry silk cocoons worth Rs7.5 lakh are prepared here. This amount is deposited directly in the account of women self-help groups. In another Centre, silk thread production works are done through Matka pulling system, in which 22 beneficiaries are working.

As such, the Centre has become bread-earner for 50 families. In 2010-11, the officers of Silk Directorate, by organising awareness camps in villages, had imparted training to the villagers in producing ‘Raily Kosa’. Thereafter, by launching a campaign with the assistance of the villagers, 25 lakh butterflies were released in Saal forests.

The Chief Secretary has also directed to constitute district-level a Committee comprising of Panchayat Chief Executive Officer, District Forest Officer, District Silk Officer, Gramudhoy Officer, District Manager( Industry), Agriculture Department officer and officials of banks.