Xavier Institute of Social Service (XISS), Ranchi, in collaboration with NEEDS, inaugurated the five-day ‘Swashakt-Bamboo Ecosystem Workshop & Innovation Expo’ at the XISS campus.

Organised under the theme “Building a Cohesive Bamboo Ecosystem for Jharkhand,” the workshop is aimed to strengthen a sustainable and inclusive bamboo ecosystem by bringing together policymakers, government departments, financial institutions, development organisations, researchers, entrepreneurs, artisans, and academia on a common platform.

The inaugural day, themed “Vision Setting & Ecosystem Convergence: Building a Cohesive Bamboo Ecosystem for Jharkhand,” focused on developing a shared roadmap for strengthening the bamboo sector through policy support, institutional collaboration, value chain development, innovation, and market linkages. 

The inaugural session was attended by Dr Anant Kumar, Head, Programme of Rural Management, XISS, Mr Murari M. Choudhury, Executive Director, NEEDS, faculty members of XISS, government officials, development practitioners, entrepreneurs, and representatives from partner organisations.

A panel discussion on “What Holds Back Jharkhand’s Bamboo Sector – Potential Convergence and Institutional Commitment” was attended by Ms Rajshree Singh, Assistant Manager, Grant Thornton; Mr Anand Gothi, Deputy Director, MLKUVB; Mr Aditya Malhotra, President, COC; Mr S. R. Patnayak, AGM, NABARD; and Dr Niranjan Sahoo, Professor, Department of Rural Management, XISS. The panellists deliberated on policy interventions, institutional convergence, financing, entrepreneurship, market access, and capacity building as key enablers for transforming bamboo into a sustainable driver of rural livelihoods and economic development.