Jitendra Singh inaugurates 4th Lavender Festival, says ‘Lavender has given Bhaderwah a national identity’
BuzzBytes News Desk
BHADERWAH, June 6: Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh on Saturday said that lavender cultivation has transformed Bhaderwah from a remote hill town into a nationally recognised hub of entrepreneurship and rural innovation, giving the region a prominent role in India’s economic growth story.
Addressing the inaugural session of the two-day 4th Lavender Festival 2026, Dr. Jitendra Singh said the Purple Revolution has given Bhaderwah a unique national identity and established it as a model for technology-driven rural development.
“Lavender has given the small town of Bhaderwah a national identity and a national role in India’s economic growth. What was once considered a remote hill town has today emerged as a beacon of India’s rural StartUp movement,” he said.
The festival, organised by CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine under the theme ‘Lavender Goes Global’, celebrates the remarkable transformation of Bhaderwah into India’s leading lavender cultivation and aroma entrepreneurship hub.
BCCI President Mithun Manhas, a native of Bhaderwah, attended the event as Guest of Honour.
Dr. Jitendra Singh described Bhaderwah as one of the country’s most successful examples of science-led rural transformation and said the Purple Revolution has demonstrated how research and innovation can be translated into sustainable livelihoods in remote mountainous regions.
The Minister credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Startup India and science-driven development for the success of the Lavender Mission, recalling that the Prime Minister had highlighted Bhaderwah’s success story in a dedicated segment of his Mann Ki Baat programme.
Highlighting the economic impact of the initiative, he said many young entrepreneurs associated with lavender cultivation are earning substantial incomes through farming, processing and marketing of value-added products.
He added that Bhaderwah’s lavender model is now being studied and replicated in several Himalayan and northeastern states.
The Union Minister further said that Bhaderwah and the wider Doda region have witnessed significant developmental progress over the past twelve years.
Referring to the ongoing work on National Highway-244, he said improved road connectivity is transforming the socio-economic landscape of the region and opening new opportunities for growth and investment.
Dr. Jitendra Singh attributed the success of the Lavender Mission to active collaboration among scientific institutions, industry experts and capacity-building programmes that provided sustained support and technological assistance to farmers and entrepreneurs.
Emphasising the vision of a Viksit Bharat, he said planning is already underway for the next two decades of development and stressed the need to unlock the potential of unexplored regions, particularly the Himalayan belt.
“The Aroma Mission is inherently linked to the Himalayan ecosystem and will continue to play a key role in the region’s sustainable development,” he said.
Speaking on the occasion, Director General of CSIR N Kalaiselvi said the Purple Revolution represents one of the most impactful examples of science reaching grassroots communities and successfully connecting laboratory research with rural livelihoods.
Professor Vinod Kumar Singh highlighted the role of science and innovation in rural transformation and praised the CSIR Aroma Mission for converting research into livelihood opportunities for farmers.
Earlier, Director CSIR-IIIM Zabeer Ahmed highlighted the achievements of the Aroma Mission and its transformative impact on rural communities.
He revealed that lavender cultivation under the mission has expanded to nearly 1,500 hectares over three phases of implementation, benefiting more than 4,500 farmers and farming families.
According to him, the initiative has led to the extraction of over 4,000 kilograms of high-value lavender oil and generated cumulative revenues exceeding ₹18 crore, significantly enhancing rural incomes and creating sustainable livelihood opportunities.
Dr. Jitendra Singh informed that what began as a modest initiative in Jammu and Kashmir has now expanded to Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh and several northeastern states, demonstrating the scalability and adaptability of the model.
The festival venue showcased innovation and entrepreneurship through dozens of stalls displaying lavender oil, perfumes, cosmetics, soaps, incense products, herbal formulations, value-added aroma products, agri-technologies and startup innovations developed under the CSIR Aroma Mission.
The event also featured presentations on the progress of the Purple Revolution, signing of Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs), launch of new lavender-based products and felicitation of progressive farmers and successful startups for their contribution to the growth of the aroma industry.
Among those present were MLA Bhaderwah Daleep Singh Parihar, MLA Doda West Shakti Raj Parihar, Deputy Commissioner Doda Krishan Lal, senior scientists, startup founders, officials and representatives of farmer groups and the aroma industry.
