Agartala (Tripura) [India], April 27 (ANI): Bamboo artisan from Tripura's Gomati district, Bijay Sutradhar, has expressed happiness and gratitude after being praised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his 133rd edition of the monthly radio program 'Mann Ki Baat'.

Visuals from the workshop of bamboo artisan Bijay Sutradhar showcased his work and reaction following the mention in the Prime Minister's monthly radio programme aired on Sunday.

Speaking to ANI, Sutradhar said, 'I'm very happy that the Prime Minister mentioned me. I've been working with bamboo for about 25 years... The way he praised me made the people in my village, and me, very happy... I want to thank Tripura Bamboo Mission. They helped me set up a factory.'

Meanwhile on Sunday, addressing the nation during his 133rd edition of Mann Ki Baat, the Prime Minister spoke about the success of the Northeast in the Bamboo sector.

He elaborated that what was once viewed as a burden is now giving new impetus to employment, business, and innovation. According to British law, Bamboo was defined as a tree, and the rules associated with it were very strict.

'It was very difficult to transport Bamboo anywhere, and people started moving away from Bamboo-related businesses as a result. Our Government changed the law in 2017 and removed Bamboo from the tree category, and today, the Bamboo sector is flourishing throughout the Northeast,' the Prime Minister said.

The Prime Minister also mentioned Bijoy Sutradhar of Gomati district of Tripura and Pradeep Chakraborty of South Tripura, who saw a huge opportunity for themselves due to the law change, and integrated their work with technology.

After being mentioned in the Mann Ki Baat episode, another bamboo artisan Pradip Chakraborty also expressed his immense gratitude, noting that it has brought pride to his entire community.

'I want to thank the Prime Minister for mentioning our work. After the programme, I received many calls from relatives and friends, which made me feel proud and happy to be part of this journey,' Chakraborty told ANI.

Highlighting his journey and inspiration in the work, he emphasised the support from 'Tripura Bamboo Mission'. 'The Tripura Bamboo Mission has supported us greatly. Today, 15-20 women work here daily, earning up to Rs 7,000 each month. We produce around 150-200 bamboo products, including bags, jewellery boxes and photo frames. The recognition in Mann Ki Baat has encouraged me to expand this work even further,' he said.

Earlier, the Tripura government launched the Tripura Bamboo Mission in PPP mode for the integrated development of the bamboo sector in Tripura, with its implementation beginning from August 2007.

The Mission is focused on the development of 4 sub-sectors, namely, Bamboo Plantations, Bamboo Handicrafts, Bamboo Incense Sticks and Bamboo Industrial Applications. The role played by TBM has resulted in increased turnover as well as livelihood generation. (ANI)