GUWAHATI, Nov 8 ? A former militant is showing the way of self-employment and he is also providing direct and indirect employment to more than 200 persons in Kokrajhar district by opening a unit for manufacturing eri garments. He has also proved that one can not only survive without looking for Government jobs but also provide employment opportunities to others by promoting traditional weaving techniques.
Former publicity secretary of militant outfit Bodo Liberation Tiger (BLT), Khampa Borgoyari, who was better known by his organisation name Mainao Daimari, opened a centre for producing eri garments along with one Dahal Narzary, a college teacher, in Kokrajhar after coming over ground and now 35 women are working in the centre.
Borgoyari, one of the executive members of the interim body of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), told The Assam Tribune here that his unit, called Indi Luo (Luo means spinning in Bodo language) about a couple of years back and the 35 women working in the unit earn between Rs 1200 to Rs 2000 per month on the basis of work done by them. He revealed that more than 200 women of the nearby villages make traditional yarn and ? we buy the same from them, thereby providing them with self-employment opportunities.?
The former militant revealed that apart from using the traditional methods of weaving, they are trying to incorporate modern designs to meet the demands of the people in the present day scenario. He said that they have been manufacturing shawls, jackets and other garments, which have been received well by the customers. He said that sometimes for improvement of the design, they are also mixing muga in the garments.
Borgoyari said that they participated in a Silk Week held in Delhi, which opened the world to the newly formed unit and ?it enabled us to come into contact with potential buyers.? He revealed that after participating in the silk week, they exported garments to countries like Japan, UK, Thailand, Nepal and Bhutan.
He said that at present they are exporting through an exporter in Delhi but ?we are trying to obtain an export licence so that we would be able to export directly.? Discussions are also on with the Central Silk Board for opening up of a stall for displaying the garments produced by the unit.
Meanwhile, quite a few other former BLT militants have also started their own cooperative societies to gain meaningful employment rather than looking towards the Government for employment.
Borgoyari revealed that more than 300 former militants have started the Bodoland Industrial Research and Development Cooperative Society in Kokrajhar and they have given stress on horticultural products. He said that they have planted pineapple and other fruits and they are also planning to set up a processing unit.
Another group of former militants formed a cooperative farm in the newly formed Chirang district and planted banana and pineapple. These two farms are likely to yield profit from next year and provide income to the ex-militants to sustain themselves. He also said that talks are on with Pepsi for setting up of a plant for preparing concentrated pineapple juice by using the pineapple produced in the farms of the former militants.
Another group of former militants have started a sericulture farm in Baska district. Borgoyari assured that if any entrepreneur or investor expresses desire to come to set up industrial units for proper utilisation of the resources available in the BTC area, the people of the area and the BTC authorities would provide all necessary assistance and security.