WATER HYACINTH
1. Why in News
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How a noxious aquatic weed was used to make eco-friendly products, generate employment in rural Bengal
- Water hyacinth, scientifically known as Eichhornia crassipes Mart. (Pontederiaceae), is an aquatic weed common in waterbodies across South Asia, including India.
- This is not an indigenous species but was introduced to India during the British colonial rule as an ornamental aquatic plant from South America.
- The plant produces beautiful purple flowers that have high aesthetic value.
- This simple, floating aquatic plant, unfortunately, is also an obnoxious weed that has been suffocating surface freshwater sources like rivers, rivulets, streams, ponds, dams, lakes and bogs, making the water bodies unsuitable for the commercial fishery, transportation and recreation.
- The plant is a prolific vegetable matter-producer and can choke out any closed water body at an astonishing rate. This cuts off sunlight as well as reduces the oxygen levels in the water, making it unfit for commercial use.
2. Issues associated with Water hyacinth
- It is an expensive and labour-intensive process to remove this weed from time to time. This water hyacinth has become a serious problem plant for the ecosystem. The plant has been used as a bio-fertiliser in some organic agriculture practices, but it is mostly a nuisance plant detrimental to both the ecosystem and the environment.
- However, it has been reported that this plant is a good phytoremediation species, suggesting it can trap and remove toxic metabolites and harmful heavy metals from water. But more research needs to be conducted to find a suitable use for the notorious weed.
- Case Study
- Mitra has always been passionate about working for the environment and has been an advertising and marketing executive by profession. But in 2011, he decided to leave his job and started working as an entrepreneur himself on environmental projects.
- His initial work has been on the reduce-reuse-recycle initiative on plastics in the environment. But over time, he became interested in working with environmentally friendly, biodegradable natural products.
- He meticulously studied and trained himself to use water hyacinth stems in preparing the biodegradable paper. Slowly, he mastered the craft and started designing biodegradable cups, plates, boxes and other environmentally friendly daily-use products that are cheaper and can serve as an alternative for plastic and thermocol cups, plates, dishes and glasses.
- He has now successfully established his own, small cottage industry-based workshop in North Kolkata, along with his associates Abhijit Mandal and Sanjay Bose under an organization named Earth Trust.
4. Significance of such cottage industries
- Cottage industries or cottage manufacturing are also called household industries or rural industries or traditional industries. The artisans use local raw materials and simple tools to produce everyday goods in their homes with the help of their family members or part-time labour. Finished products may be for consumption in the same household, for sale in local (village) markets, or, for barter. It is the smallest industry unit and it is different from small-scale industries.
- For example, Pots making, bamboo basket weaving, fabric, mats, Curtain making, furniture making, Jewellery making of gold or silver.
- Small Scale Industries are industries in which manufacturing, production, and rendering of services are done on small scale. The investment limit is up to Rs.5 crore while the annual turnout is up to Rs. 10 crores.
- Cottage Industries are usually very small and are established in cottages or dwelling places. Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) is a statutory organization that promotes village industries that also helps cottage industries.
- In Small scale industries outside labour is used whereas in cottage industries family labour is used. SSI uses both modern and traditional techniques. Cottage industries depend on traditional techniques of production.
- If the Iron and Steel industry has helped India to move toward modernization of the economy, the cottage industry has helped to move towards balanced regional development and achieving the goal of an egalitarian society.
- The cottage industry enjoys a special place in the Indian scenario owing to the highly diverse socioeconomic and geographical patterns. These go well with the Gandhian Philosophy for rural development. Owing to such a special place enjoyed by the cottage industry in India's development landscape, the Government of India has given it special benefits to glow from the plan after plan.
- This industry, however, is facing deep threats present in the wake of liberation, globalization and privatization since 1990, due to the economy of scale of larger firms producing the same goods owing to the philosophy of the current paradigm that mightier will survive.
5. Composition of Cottage Industry
- Handicrafts
- Khaki/Cotton
- weaving
- Match industry
- Poultry
- Silk weaving
- Bidi Making
- Glasswork
- Toy making
- Lock/Knife making
6. Problems with cottage Industries
- Thank to the incentives and encouragement given by the govt, the cottage industries sector has made substantial progress during the last three decades. But the development has not been commensurate with their potentialities or with the need for Cottage industries. Cottage industries are facing many problems today which are hindering their growth.
- Due to competition from large factories, many artisans have abandoned their traditional occupation and become landless agriculture labourers. This is leading to the extinction of traditional knowledge-based industries.
- Cottage industries are unable to compete with other sectors due to many reasons prevailing at the input, processing and output stages discussed below:
- Lack of credit and finance availability: No timely, adequate and low-cost credit is available to Cottage industries. Cottage industries have not been able to raise capital like large industries from Banks and financial institutions.
- Infrastructural bottlenecks, especially power hamper productivity and efficiency of Cottage industries.
- Procurement of raw materials due to the inadequacy of funds hampers raw material availability to Cottage industries in India. This is accentuated by the reluctance of government agencies which is favouring large-scale industries.
- Traditional and obsolete technology hampers the cost competitiveness and productivity of industries. This prevents further expansion of the industry.
- Under-utilization of potential due to various financial, technological and marketing constraints is hampering the growth of Cottage industries in India.
- Absence of marketing, availability of readymade markets and lack of brand names hamper their further growth.
- Proper quality up-gradation, monitoring and facilitation by the government are not there for Cottage industries due to which the quality products are not available in the market respect to Cottage industries which is hampering their growth.
- Besides, the high incidence of sickness and non-recovery of dues hamper their operation and development.
- Input stage
- Processing stage
- Output stage
7. Measures to improve the working of Cottage Industries
- Modern Techniques: There is an urgent need for the implementation of techniques which not only enhance productivity but develop the skills of the labourers and meet the requirements of the local market.
- Banking Facilities: Rural Co-operatives and Rural Banks should be established and stabilized by the Government for advancing short-term loans on nominal interest.
- Marketing Facilities: The adequate marketing facilities should be arranged for them, as the sale of goods has nowadays become as complicated an affair as the production itself. The platform of e-commerce should be utilized can expand the market across all boundaries.
- The artisans must be helped to get the best price for their goods. Frequent exhibitions should be organized to enable the artisans to show their art and industry.
- Some of the schemes and measures are taken by the Government for improving the condition of Cottage industries in India are discussed below:
- The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) is a statutory body established by an Act of Parliament (Khadi and Village Industries Commission Act of 1956). In April 1957, it took over the work of the former All India Khadi and Village Industries Board.
- Functions: It is an apex organization under the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, about khadi and village industries within India, which seeks to – “plan, promote, facilitate, organise and assist in the establishment and development of khadi and village industries in the rural areas in coordination with other agencies engaged in rural development wherever necessary.”
- Khadi & Village Industries Commission (KVIC):
- Credit-related schemes:
- Agriculture
- Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
- Export Credit
- Education
- Housing
- Social Infrastructure
- Renewable Energy
- Others.
- Skill India Mission: Skill India Mission is a government scheme launched in 2015. It is an umbrella scheme that has many skilling schemes and programmes under it. The chief objective is to empower the youth of the country with adequate skill sets that will enable their employment in relevant sectors and also improve productivity. The chief objective of the Skill India Mission is to provide market-relevant skills training to more than 40 crore young people in the country by the year 2022.
- Management Training Programmes: The basic objective of the Management Development Programme is to improve the productivity/profitability of existing entrepreneurs by upgrading their managerial decision-making capabilities and providing them with an insight into the latest developments in the area of industrial management, marketing management, financial management, inventory control, human resource development, information technology, and e-commerce, etc. to make them aware about emerging practices in the field of industrial management. Keeping in view the heterogeneity of their academic awareness the need for the inputs of scientific management varies from place to place and person to person. Hence the orientation to management principles and practices becomes necessary.
- Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana: Launched in April 2015 by the Prime Minister, the Mudra Yojana aims to enable Micro Finance Institutions (MFIs), Non-Banking financial institutions/Companies (NBFCs), Small Finance Banks, RBRs, Commercial Banks, Cooperative Banks, etc. to provide Low Rate Loans to eligible entities.
- Priority Sector Lending: Sectors that the Government of India and Reserve Bank of India consider as important for the development of the basic needs of the country are to be given priority over other sectors. The banks are mandated to encourage the growth of such sectors with adequate and timely credit through Priority Sector Lending. Sectors under Priority Sector Lending include
- Stand-up India scheme: Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Stand-up India scheme in April 2016. This scheme is aimed at providing credit to Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), and women borrowers in the non-farm sector. The scheme is intended to promote entrepreneurship among SC/ST and women and further give a push to the government’s financial inclusion programme.
- Skill development and Training related programs