The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology, Dr Jitendra Singh announced a key decision to commence Purple Revolution or lavender cultivation in Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir. He declared this while chairing the District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee (DISHA) meeting on Sunday for Ramban district at the Convention Centre in Jammu.

The Purple Revolution was to be encouraged under the Council Of Scientific And Industrial Research-Indian Institute Of Integrative Medicine’s (CSIR–IIIM) Aroma Mission. This will be on the lines of the programme run by the Ministry of S&T at Doda and Reasi districts.

The Minister said as the geographic and climatic conditions Ramban are same as in Doda, lavender production could be started there to increase income sources for the youth of the district. He gave examples of Doda’s Baderwah and Khilani and certain areas in upper reached of Reasi.

The Minister added that more than 500 youth had benefitted from then Purple Revolution and had increased their income manyfold while also providing livelihood to budding farmers and agri-entrepreneurs in the region. In fact, he said engineering graduates had left the jobs to take up this cultivation as it was a lucrative avenue.

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