MEGA FOOD PARK

Mega Food Parks

During Eleventh Plan, Government approved taking up of 30 Mega Food Parks Projects in the country. All the 30 Mega Food Park projects have been approved by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries from the eligible proposals received against Expression of Interest for selection of projects. The experience of the implementation of the scheme revealed that the following are the main issues being faced during implementation by the Mega Food Parks projects:             i.  Acquiring of minimum 50 acre land with Change of Land Use for the project and obtaining State Government permission for subleasing the plots.            ii.  Obtaining sanction of the term loan from the banks to fund the implementation of the project.           iii.  Delays in getting necessary State Government statutory and other clearances.           iv.  Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) in the SPVs being unable to take a lead role in execution of the project due to private character of the SPV and capping of the participation of PSUs at 26% of the total equity.            v.  Difficulty in finding participation of Food Processor in SPV with minimum of 26% equity with net worth of Rs. 10 crore.           vi.        Lack of cohesiveness amongst the promoters in some of the projects leading to legal disputes and delay in contribution of equity in the SPV.               In the North Eastern Region, total three Mega Food Park projects have been approved by the Ministry during eleventh Plan in the States of Assam, Tripura and Sikkim. Preservation of Perishable Fruits and Vegetables A nation-wide study on quantitative assessment of harvest and post-harvest losses for 46 agricultural Crops in 106 randomly selected districts was carried out by Central Institute of Post-Harvest Engineering & Technology, (CIPHET) Ludhiana, an ICAR institution. As per the report released in 2010, the extent of harvest and post-harvest losses in fruits vary from 5.8% to 18% and in case of vegetables from 6.88% to 12.98%. Ministry of Food Processing Industries promotes adoption of modern food processing technologies through its schemes viz. (i) Scheme for Infrastructure Development with components of Mega Food Park and Cold Chain, Value Addition & Preservation Infrastructure (ii) Technology Up-gradation/Establishment/ Modernization of Food Processing Industries (FPIs). Ministry of Food processing Industries has entered into an agreement in 2012 with France for promoting co-operation in the field of food processing and allied sectors. Ministry has launched a centrally sponsored scheme-National Mission on Food Processing (NMFP) in 12th Plan. The mission has several schemes including (i) Technology Up-gradation/Establishment/Modernization of Food Processing Industries (ii) Setting up of Primary Processing Centres/collection Centres (iii) Reefer Vehicles. These schemes of the mission are implemented by State Governments and they have full powers to receive, sanction and release funds to the eligible applicants. Under Technology Upgradation Scheme (TUS), grant-in-aid has been sanctioned by the Ministry to 3438 units in 11th plan and 2509 in 12th plan for setting up / modernization of food processing industries. Vision Document – 2015 In order to promote food processing industries, increase level of processing and exploit the potential of domestic and international market for processed food products, Vision Document-2015 was prepared by the Ministry, which envisaged trebling the size of investment in the processed food sector by increasing the level of processing of perishables from 6% to 20%, value addition from 20% to 35% and share in global food trade from 1.5% to 3% by 2015. To achieve these targets, an investment of Rs. 100,000 crore was required by the year 2015. Out of which, the share of Government was Rs.10,000 crore. During the 11th Five Year Plan, against the proposal of allocation of Rs. 4816 crore of the Ministry, a Plan outlay of Rs. 4041 crore only was made for various Programmes / Schemes of the Ministry. However, the actual expenditure incurred on implementing the various schemes of Ministry of Food Processing Industries during the 11th Plan was Rs. 1596.88 crore only. During 11th Five Year Plan, the Central Sector Schemes for Infrastructure Development (a) Mega Food Parks (b) Integrated Cold Chain, Value Addition and Preservation Infrastructure, and (c) Setting up / Modernization of Abattoirs, Scheme of Technology up-gradation/ Establishment/ Modernization of Food Processing Industries, Scheme for Quality Assurance, Codex Standards, Research & Development and Other Promotional Activities, Scheme for Human Resource Development and Scheme of Strengthening of Institutions were implemented by the Ministry for development of food processing industries in the country. Storage Facilities As per the study of Central Institute of Post-Harvest Engineering and Technology (CIPHET) (ICAR, Ludhiana), published in 2010, based on a nationwide sample survey including Himachal Pradesh, annual wastage of fruits is estimated in the range of 5.8% to 18% having value of Rs. 7437 crores annually. The losses during transportation of fruits range from 1.1 to 2.8%.                With the objective of reducing post-harvest losses by providing integrated cold chain and preservation infrastructure facilities without any break from the farm gate to the consumer, Ministry of Food Processing Industries is implementing a Central Sector Scheme of Cold Chain, Value Addition and Preservation Infrastructure since 2008-09 in the country including Himachal Pradesh. The financial assistance @ 50% of the total cost of plant & machinery and technical civil works in general areas and 75% for NE region and difficult areas (North-Eastern States, Sikkim, J&K, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand) subject to a maximum grant-in-aid of Rs 10 Crore per project is provided for setting up the cold chain infrastructure in the country. Integrated cold chain and preservation infrastructure can be set up by individuals, groups of entrepreneurs, cooperative societies, Self Help Groups (SHGs), Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), NGOs, Central/State PSUs, etc. Under the scheme of Cold Chain, Value Addition and Preservation Infrastructure, the Ministry has sanctioned 121 cold chain projects for implementation in the country. Out of these, 9 projects have been sanctioned in Himachal Pradesh. Further, the Ministry has also launched a Centrally Sponsored Scheme i.e. National Mission on Food Processing (NMFP) during 12th Plan. The NMFP is being implemented by the State/UT governments including Himachal Pradesh. Under the Mission, financial assistance is provided for setting up cold chain infrastructure through following schemes: (i)                 Scheme for Cold Chain, Value Addition and Preservation Infrastructure for Non- Horticultural Products:- For setting up of cold chain projects for non-horticulture produce like dairy, meat, poultry, fish etc., the financial assistance is provided as (a) Capital Subsidy: Grant-in-aid @35% of the bank appraised project cost for general areas, and @ 50% of the project cost for difficult areas including North-Eastern region, subject to maximum of Rs. 5 crore and (b) Interest Subsidy: @ 6% per annum subject to a maximum of Rs. 2.00 crore per project or actual interest accrued on term loan, whichever is lower, for a period of 5 year from completion of the project for general areas, and @ 7% per annum subject to a maximum of Rs. 3.00 crore per project or actual interest accrued on term loan, whichever is lower, for a period of 7 years from completion of the project for difficult areas including North-Eastern Region and hilly States. (ii)  Scheme for Creating Primary Processing Centres / Collection Centres in Rural Areas:-Under this scheme financial assistance is provided for setting up processing and preservation facilities in rural areas to enhance shelf life of perishable produce. Admissible grant-in-aid under the scheme is @ 50% of the eligible project cost for the general areas and 75% in North-Eastern Region, ITDP & Difficult Areas including hilly States, respectively subject to a maximum of Rs. 2.5 Crore. (iii) Reefer Vehicles:- Financial assistance to standalone reefer vehicle(s) and mobile pre-cooling van(s) for carrying & transporting, both horticultural & non-horticultural produce is provided under the scheme as credit linked back ended grants-in-aid @ 50% of the cost of New Reefer Vehicle(s)/Mobile pre-cooling van(s)upto a maximum of Rs. 50.00 lakh. In addition, National Horticulture Mission (NHM), National Horticulture Board (NHB), and National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) under Department of Agriculture and Cooperation, Ministry of Agriculture and Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) under Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industries, Government of India are also providing assistance for setting up cold storages under their respective schemes.

Monuments of National Importance

The Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Culture & Tourism Shri Shripad Yesso Naik has said that presently there are 25 proposals received from various parts of the country for protection of monuments.  . In a written reply in the Lok Sabha today he said, protected monuments/sites under ASI are conserved, preserved and maintained by way of structural and chemical preservation on priority basis, as per archaeological norms, subject to availability of resources.   List of Monuments/Sites Identified For Declaration As of National Importance Sl.No. Name of Monument/Site Locality District State 1. Ancient Site Junikaran Kutch Gujarat 2. Palace building near Firozshah Palace and Tehkhana Hissar Hissar Haryana 3. Group of Temples Haradib Ranchi Jharkhad 4. Shahpur QuiIa Shahpur Palamu Jharkhand 5. Navratanagarh Fort and Temple Complex Gumla Gumla Jharkhand 6. Tiliagarh Fort Sahebganj Sahebganj Jharkhand 7. Fort and Jain Rock Cut sculptures Koluha hill Chatra Jharkhand 8. Janardana Temple Panamaram Waynad Kerala 9. Vishnu Temple Nadavayal Waynad Kerala 10. Fortification wall of Daulatabad Fort Daulatabad Aurangabad Maharashtra 11. Old High Court Building Nagpur Nagpur Maharashtra 12. Fort Ginnurgarh Sehore Madhya Pradesh 13. Biranchi Narayana Temple Buguda Ganjam Odisha 14. Group of Temples Ranipur Jharial Bolangir Odisha 15. Sita Ram Ji Temple Deeg Bharatpur Rajasthan 16. Rambagh Palace Deeg Bharatpur Rajasthan 17. Bala Qila Alwar Alwar Rajasthan 18. Step well Neemrana Alwar Rajasthan 19. St. Thomas Church Dehradun Dehradun Uttarakhad 20. Nauseri Banu Mosque Kella Nizamat Murshidabad West Bengal 21. Chowk Masjid Kella Nizamat Murshidabad West Bengal 22. Archaeological Site (Sakeesena Mound) Mogalbari Paschim Medinapur West Bengal 23. Khwaza Anwar Berh (Nawab Bari Palace) Khawaja Anwar Berh Barddhaman West Bengal 24. Brindaban Chandra Temple Birsingha Bankura West Bengal 25. Radha Damodar Temple Birsingha Bankura West Bengal Provision Regarding Contribution to Political Parties by the Companies

Contributions to political parties are governed by Section 182 of the Companies Act, 2013. A company that is not a Government company and which is in existence for at least last three financial years may contribute up to 7.5% of its average net profits during the last three years to a political party/parties registered under the representation of Peoples Act, 1951. This is subject to further elaborations and restrictions in the said section. Following permission to establish Electoral Trust companies under the Income Tax Act, a company can also make contributions within the above limits and restrictions to ‘Electoral Trust Companies’ and reflect these contributions in their books of accounts. The Electoral Trust Companies are, however, required to indicate the amounts passed on to them by companies and contributed by them to a political party or parties in the manner laid down in section 182(3) of the Companies Act, 2013. There is no proposal to review the above arrangements. The relevant provisions of the Companies (Donations to National Funds) Act, 1951 have already been incorporated in the Companies Act, 2013. Section 181 and 183 of the Act allows companies to contribute to bonafide and charitable funds and to national funds etc. In view of this, this Ministry has initiated to repeal the Companies (Donations to National Funds) Act, 1951.

Foodgrains Storage Capacity of 203.76 lakh MT to be Constructed in 19 States

The Center has approved a capacity of 203.76 lakh MT for construction in 19 states, under the Private Entrepreneur Guarantee (PEG) scheme to ensure increased foodgrains storage capacity. Out of this 120.30 lakh MT has been completed. This information was given by the Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Shri Raosaheb Patil Danve in a written reply in Lok Sabha today . Storage capacity is being created under this Scheme in PPP mode through private parties, as well as various agencies in Public Sector for guaranteed hiring by FCI.  Guarantee period for private parties is 10 years whereas for Public Sector agencies it is 9 years. In case of private parties, state wise tenders are invited by designated nodal agency under a 2 bid system. At the technical bid stage, sites are inspected and bids in respect of only those sites which are found suitable,  are processed further. Tenders are allotted to the lowest bidders. Non railway siding based godowns are to be constructed in one year whereas godowns with railway siding are allowed two years construction period. This period can be extended by one year at the request of the investor. After completion of the godown, final inspection is carried by a joint committee of FCI and the Nodal agency and godowns completed in all respects and as per specifications are taken over on guarantee basis.    A Plan Scheme for construction of godowns by FCI in the North Eastern States and other states is being implemented .  Under this scheme, capacity of 3,68,950 MT is being created during 12th Five Year Plan (2012-17).  The capacity completed in the last two years (2012-13 and 2013-14) is 27,070 MT.  Silos are proposed to be constructed under PEG scheme for 20 lakh MT capacity at 41 locations. Efforts   are being made to float tenders in FY 2014-15.  Construction work will commence after finalization of tenders . States Requested to Ensure Implementation of Food Security Act within Next Three Months The Center has started allocation of foodgrains to 11 States/UTs under National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA) based on the identification of beneficiaries by the state. Out of these, in 6 States, namely Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Punjab and Rajasthan, complete identification as per coverage under the Act has been reported and in the remaining 5 States/UTs, namely Bihar, NCT of Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Chandigarh, identification is partial. Government of Uttarakhand has also reported completion of identification of beneficiaries. Remaining States/UTs have been requested to complete the identification at the earliest and ensure implementation of the Act within next three months, after completing other preparatory measures. This information was given by the Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Shri Raosaheb Patil Danve in a written reply in Lok Sabha today . . The Government notified the National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA) on 10.09.2013, which aims to provide for food and nutritional security in human life cycle approach, by ensuring access to adequate quantity of quality food at affordable prices to people to live a life with dignity. The Act provides for coverage of upto 75% of the rural population and upto 50% of the urban population of the country for receiving foodgrains at subsidised prices of Rs. 3, 2 & 1 per Kg for rice, wheat & coarse grains respectively under Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS). There is also a special focus in the Act on nutritional support to pregnant women and lactating mothers and children upto 14 years of age.Implementation status of the Act is reviewed on a regular basis and necessary advisories are issued to States/UTs, wherever required.

Schemes to Enhancing Production and Productivity of Agricultural Production for ias mains

Under the 12th Five Year Plan, Department of Agriculture and Cooperation has 5 Centrally Sponsored Missions, 5 Central Sector Schemes and 1 State Plan Scheme under implementation. These schemes are as follows:  Details of Missions/Schemes 1.            National Food Security Mission (NFSM) NFSM aims to increase the production of rice, wheat, pulses and Coarse Cereals through area expansion and productivity enhancement; restoring soil fertility and productivity; creating employment opportunities; and enhancing farm level economy.  The basic strategy of the Mission is to promote and extend improved technologies, i.e., seed, micronutrients, soil amendments, integrated pest management, farm machinery and resource conservation technologies along with capacity building of farmers. 2.            National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) NMSA has been formulated to make agriculture more productive, sustainable, remunerative and climate resilient by promoting location specific integrated/Composite Farming Systems; conserve natural resources through appropriate soil and moisture conservation measures;  adopt comprehensive soil health management practices; optimize utilization of water resources through efficient water management to expand coverage for achieving more crop per drop; develop capacity of farmers & stakeholders, in conjunction with other on-going Missions and pilot models in select blocks for improving productivity of rainfed farming by mainstreaming rainfed technologies. 3.            National Mission on Oil seeds and Oil Palm (NMOOP) The Mission aims to expand area under oilseeds, harness the potential in the area/ districts of low productivity, strengthening inputs delivery mechanism, strengthening of post harvest services besides a focus on tribal areas for tree borne oilseeds. 4.            National Mission on Agricultural Extension & Technology (NMAET)             The Mission has four components viz: (i) Sub Mission on Agriculture Extension, (SMAE); (ii) Sub Mission on Seed and Planting Material (SMSP); (iii) Sub Mission on Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM); and (iv) Sub Mission on Plant Protection and Plant Quarantine (SMPP).  The Mission aims to disseminate information and knowledge to the farming community in local language/ dialect in respect of agricultural schemes. 5.            Mission of Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) The Mission aims to promote holistic growth of horticulture sector, including bamboo and coconut through area based regionally differentiated strategies, which include research, technology promotion, extension, post harvest management, processing and marketing, in consonance with comparative advantage of each State/region and its diverse agro-climatic features; encourage aggregation of farmers into farmer groups like FIGs/FPOs, and FPCs to bring economy of scale and scope; enhance horticulture production, augment farmers, income and strengthen nutritional security and improve productivity by way of quality germplasm, planting material and water use efficiency through Micro Irrigation.                      II. Central Sector Schemes 1.            National Crop Insurance Scheme (NCIP) The Scheme aims to provide insurance coverage and financial support to the farmers in the event of crops failure as a result of natural calamities, pests and diseases as also to encourage farmers to adopt progressive farming practices, high value inputs and higher technology in agriculture. 2.            Integrated Scheme on Agriculture Cooperation (ISAC) The objective of the scheme is to provide financial assistance for the activities of cooperatives like agro-processing, marketing of food grains, input supply, development of weaker section cooperatives, computerization of co-operatives etc. as also to develop cooperative awareness amongst the people and to cater to the education and training requirements of cooperative personnel and State Government officials.  3.            Integrated Scheme on Agriculture Marketing (ISAM) The Scheme aims to promote creation of agricultural marketing infrastructure by providing backend subsidy support to State, cooperative and private sector investments; to promote creation of scientific storage capacity and to promote pledge financing to increase farmers’ income; to promote Integrated Value Chains (confined up to the stage of primary processing only), to provide vertical integration of farmers with primary processors; to use ICT as a vehicle of extension to sensitize and orient farmers to respond to new challenges in agricultural marketing; to establish a nation-wide information network system for speedy collection and dissemination of market information and data on arrivals and prices for its efficient and timely utilization by farmers and other stake holders; to support framing of grade standards and quality certification of agricultural commodities to help farmers get better and remunerative prices for their graded produce; to catalyze private investment in setting up of agribusiness projects and thereby provide assured market to producers and strengthen backward linkages of agri-business projects with producers and their groups; and to undertake and promote training, research, education, extension and consultancy in the agri marketing sector. 4.               Integrated Scheme on Agriculture Census, Economics and Statistics (ISACE&S) The Scheme aims to collect/ compile data of operational holdings in the country to provide aggregates for basic Agricultural Characteristics for use as benchmark for inter-census estimates. 5.               Secretariat Economic Service (SES) The Scheme aims to provide support and services to the employees/ officers of the Department of Agriculture & Cooperation including provision of office equipments, furniture, office accommodation, renovation of rooms, transport services, newspaper, Magazines, Publicity and Advertisement expenditure, etc. III.  State Plan Scheme 1.               Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) The Scheme aims to incentivize the States to increase investment in Agriculture and allied sectors to achieve 4% growth in agriculture sector. The scheme is available for any agriculture activity that can increase production growth in the agriculture and allied sectors.