The National Medicinal Plants Board was established for the conservation, promotion, cultivation, marketing and research of medicinal plants. The Board implements policies for ensuring quality planting material, subsidies for farmers and development of the medicinal sector. Mr. Vikas Markam, Chairman of the Chhattisgarh Tribal, Local Health Tradition and Medicinal Plants Board, yesterday conducted a site inspection of various schemes run with the support of the Board in Dhamtari district. Chairman Mr. Markam informed that as per the vision of Chief Minister Mr. Vishnu Dev Sai and under the guidance of Forest Minister Mr. Kedar Kashyap, the Board is working in mission mode to make the state the “Herbal Growth Engine” of India under the Vision 2047 of the Chhattisgarh Government.
During the inspection, Chairman of Medicinal Plant Board, Mr. Markam reviewed the activities including cultivation of Khas on the banks of rivers, cultivation of Lemongrass and Brahmi, plantation of Sindoori saplings planted under the Bari Yojana. Mr. Markam visited the fields of farmers and women self-help groups cultivating medicinal and aromatic plants. He discussed with the farmers and found out what other kind of assistance they needed from the government. During this, women and farmers enthusiastically said that now farming in Chhattisgarh is giving both respect and better income.
Chairman Mr. Markam informed that in the last two years the Board has started many innovative models. These include women’s empowerment through garden medicinal plantations, medicinal cultivation by self-help groups on vacant panchayat lands (convergence model), medicinal cultivation with the support of private investors under the custom farming model, production of profitable crops like Vacha and Brahmi instead of paddy through the Paddy Diversion Model, cultivation of aromatic crops like Khas on unused land along rivers, and development of rural pasture lands as training centers. He stated that these schemes are significantly increasing farmers’ incomes and the state will soon achieve the goal of doubling farmers’ income.
The Board’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr. J.A.C.S. Rao, was also present during the field visit. He assured Chairman Mr. Vikas Markam and the villagers that the Board will work with even greater vigor in the future.