Overview
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s radio address on Sunday highlighted Sikkim’s Lagastal Design Studio, Tripura entrepreneur Pradeep Chakraborty’s cottage unit, and Sikkim’s yak‑milk chhurpi, pushing local ventures into the national eye.
- Chakraborty said his Tripura centre employs 12 women after scaling up with Tripura Bamboo Mission machinery and a Rs 9 lakh Punjab National Bank loan.
- Lagastal founder Chimi Ongmu Bhutia called the mention a huge opportunity and said 2017-era bamboo policies helped her start work that she believes has benefited 2,000–3,000 people in the Northeast.
- Modi linked the growth to a 2017 legal change that removed bamboo from the ‘tree’ category, a shift he said eased transport and spurred value-added products across the Northeast.
- Following Sunday’s broadcast, BJP MPs Raju Bista and Sambit Patra visited the Gangtok studio, a show of support that could draw new buyers and partners.