North east diary
India's second rubber park in Tripura
I
ndia's second industrial rubber park has come up in Bodhungnagar in western Tripura to boost the
country's elastic polymer industry. The park, a joint venture between the Tripura Industrial Development
Corporation (TIDC) and the Rubber Board, is the second of its kind in the country after the rubber
park in Irapuram, Kerala.
The park has been, created at a cost of Rs. 23 crore at the Bodhungnagar industrial growth centre, 15 km
north of Agartala. At least 20 rubber-based industrial projects would be set up in the park in the next few
years. The rubber park was built on an area of about 58 acres of land in the Bodhungnagar industrial growth
centre and over Rs.75 crore are expected to be invested in the park over a period of three years.
A big rubber product development and display centre and a rubber museum have been set up in the park,
which would lead to significant direct employment generation for 1,000 to 1,500 people. Tripura is the second
largest rubber producer in the country after Kerala with 65,000 hectares of land so far brought under cultivation
producing 30,000 tonnes of natural rubber annually.
The state has a potential to increase the production of rubber to 60,000 tonnes per year after five years.
The products proposed to be manufactured in the rubber park include cycle and two-wheeler tyres and tubes,
retreading of old tyres, auto components, flaps, chappals, sports goods, latex foam, coated fabrics, hot water
bag, hose, mattresses and pillows, automotive rubber components and rubber threads.
Products from the park, funded by the union commerce ministry under the ASIDE (Assistance to States
for Development of Export Infrastructure and Allied Activities) scheme, are expected to meet the needs of
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northeastern states and neighbouring countries.
World Bank loan for North East development
T
he World Bank has extended a $130 million loan to India that will be used to fund rural development
programmes in the North East region of the country. The money will be used to fund the North East
Rural Livelihoods Project, which aims to enhance livelihoods of the rural poor, especially women,
unemployed youth and the severely disadvantaged people in the North East region.
Eight districts of four states -Aizawl and Lunglei in Mizoram; Peren and Tuensang in Nagaland; South,
West and 15 Panchayat wards of East District in Sikkim; and West and North Districts in Tripura will be
covered under the project.
The project seeks to develop an institutional platform for the communities, which will help them link up
with the private sector, public sector, and civil society and to acquire the institutional, technical, and financial
capacity needed for improving their livelihoods.
Loan will be extended by the World Bank's concessionary lending arm the International Development
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Association. The concessional credit has a final maturity of 25 years, including 5-year grace period.
YOJANA March 2012
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