“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.”
This was stated by the Union Minister of State in PMO and the Union Minister of State (independent charge) for Science and Technology, Dr Jitendra Singh, while inaugurating the 2-day 4th Lavender Festival 2026 in Bhaderwah.
BCCI president Mithun Manhas, who also happens to be a son of the soil, was the guest of honour on the occasion.
Organised by CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (CSIR-IIIM), Jammu, the two-day festival under the theme “Lavender goes global” celebrated the remarkable transformation of Bhaderwah from a traditional agrarian region into India’s leading lavender cultivation and aroma entrepreneurship hub.
Addressing the gathering, Dr Jitendra, who is also the Union Minister of State (independent charge) for Earth Sciences besides being the Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, Department of Atomic Energy, Department of Space, and Personnel, Public Grievances, and Pensions, described Bhaderwah as one of the most successful examples of technology-led rural transformation in the country.
He said the purple revolution demonstrated how scientific research could be translated into sustainable livelihoods and entrepreneurship in remote mountainous regions.
The Union Minister credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Startup India and science-driven development for the success of the Lavender Mission. He recalled that Prime Minister Modi had dedicated a significant portion of the 99th episode of Mann Ki Baat to Bhaderwah’s lavender success story.
Highlighting the economic impact of the mission, he noted that several young entrepreneurs associated with lavender cultivation were earning substantial incomes through cultivation, processing and marketing of value-added products. He said Bhaderwah’s model was currently being studied and replicated in other Himalayan and northeastern states.
Dr Jitendra said that Bhaderwah and the entire Doda region witnessed remarkable developmental progress over the last twelve years. He highlighted the ongoing work on National Highway-244, stating that improved connectivity was transforming the socio-economic landscape of the region and opening new avenues for growth and opportunities.
The Union Minister attributed the success of the Lavender Mission to the active involvement of scientific institutions, industry experts and capacity-building initiatives. He said that sustained handholding, technology support and global-level conferences helped expand the model to other parts of the country.
Emphasising the vision of Viksit Bharat, he said that while the nation celebrated twelve years of transformative governance, planning was already underway for the next two decades. He stressed the need to unlock the potential of unexplored regions, particularly the Himalayan belt, and said that the Aroma Mission was inherently linked to the Himalayan ecosystem and would continue to play an important role in the region’s sustainable development.
Dr Jitendra informed that what began as a modest initiative in Jammu and Kashmir was presently expanded to several parts of the country, including Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh and other North-Eastern states, demonstrating the scalability and adaptability of the model.
In her address, Director General CSIR Dr N Kalaiselvi said the “Purple Revolution” represented one of the most impactful examples of science reaching grassroots communities. She noted that the initiative successfully linked laboratory research with rural livelihoods and emerged as a model for sustainable agricultural development across the country.
Professor V K Singh of IIT Lucknow highlighted the role of science and innovation in driving rural transformation and praised the CSIR Aroma Mission for successfully translating research into livelihood opportunities for farmers.
He said the “Purple Revolution” stood as a model of science-led development, fostering entrepreneurship, value addition and sustainable income generation. He also emphasised the importance of continued collaboration between research institutions, industry and farmers to further strengthen India’s aromatic crop sector.
Earlier, welcoming the guests, Director CSIR-IIIM Dr Zabeer Ahmed highlighted the achievements of the CSIR Aroma Mission and its transformative impact on rural communities across the country. Dr Ahmed said that lavender cultivation under the Aroma Mission emerged as one of the most successful examples of science-led rural development in India.
“Over the last three phases of implementation, lavender cultivation has expanded to nearly 1,500 hectares, benefiting more than 4,500 farmers and farming families,” he said.
“The initiative has led to the extraction of over 4,000 kilograms of high-value lavender oil and generated cumulative revenues exceeding Rs 18 Cr, significantly enhancing rural incomes and creating sustainable livelihood opportunities,” he added.
The venue of the festival witnessed a display of innovation and entrepreneurship with dozens of stalls showcasing 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 institutional 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 who contributed significantly to the growth of the aroma industry in Jammu and Kashmir.
Among those present on the occasion were MLA Bhaderwah Daleep Singh Parihar, MLA Doda West Shakti Raj Parihar, Prof Vinod K Singh, Institute Chair Professor, Department of Chemistry, IIT Kanpur, Chairman, CSIR-Research Advisory Board (RAB) and Mentor, CSIR-IIIM, Director of CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT) Dr D Srinivasa Reddy, Director CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI) Lucknow Dr Ajit Kumar Shasany, Deputy Commissioner Doda Krishan Lal, senior scientists, officials and representatives of startups and farmer groups.
Senior scientists Dr Suphla Gupta, Senior Principal Scientist and Nodal Officer, CSIR Aroma Mission, and Dr Saurabh Saran, Senior Principal Scientist CSIR-IIIM, were also present during the programme along with scientists, researchers, startup founders and representatives from the aroma industry.
