Team News Riveting
Raipur, June 18
Chhattisgarh government in collaboration with the Central government is expediting a project that will change the picture of Bastar, which is fast moving out to be free from the Maoists menace.
For the first time, a modern multi product food irradiation unit integrated with cold chain and value additional infrastructure is being built by the Central Government and the Government of Chhattisgarh in Patarras village of Dantewada district that was once infamous for deadly Maoist violence.
The unit would be powered by cold storage where radiation will be used to protect food grains and forest produce from spoiling. The project is being executed under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana.
A state government spokesperson said this would be the first facility of its kind to be built at the government level in the entire country. The project will change the picture of Bastar, he said, adding that a big initiative is being taken in Dantewada district to keep the produce from farming and forest safe for a long time and to get the farmers the full value of their hard work.
Bastar region produces tamarind, mahua, wild mango, indigenous spices and coarse grains like millet. But due to lack of facility to preserve and sell them properly, 7 to 20 per cent of the produce gets spoiled every year. The facility that is being built now will have cold storage, freezer, radiation machine, and big trucks to carry the goods. This will keep these things safe for a long time. The durability of the products will increase, wastage will stop and farmers will get higher prices.
The cost of the project is around Rs 25 crore and will be run by the District Project Livelihood College Society. The institution has been formed especially to increase employment in tribal areas. This project to be built in Patarras village will have a cold storage with a capacity of 1500 metric tons, frozen storage of 1000 metric tons, 5 small cold rooms, blast freezer to cool fruits quickly, separate chamber for ripening items, radiation machine so that things do not spoil for a long time, 3 big trucks to carry goods and a 70-kilowatt solar system to save electricity.
The facility will prove helpful in keeping more than 10 thousand metric tonnes of produce safe every year and apart from Dantewada, farmers and forest produce collectors of districts like Bastar, Bijapur, Sukma, Kondagaon and Narayanpur will get its benefit. For the project, Rs 10 crore will be spent from the central government scheme and Rs 14.98 crore from the District Mineral Foundation (DMF) Fund.
The spokesperson said till now, most of the work of such projects had been done by private companies, but for the first time the government itself would be creating such a facility, which would also strengthen the trust in government schemes in tribal areas.
This facility is expected to generate revenue of about Rs 8.5 crore per year. Its direct benefit will be to farmers, forest produce collectors and local youth, because people will be needed to work here. This will increase employment in rural areas and many people will be able to get employment in their own villages. This initiative will also prove helpful in the direction of permanent employment and peace in areas affected by left wing extremism.
The spokesperson said land has been acquired for the facility and an agreement has also been signed with BRIT, an organization that provides radiation technology. It will take about 24 months to complete the work, i.e. the facility will be fully operational in 2 years. The administration has also prepared markets in big cities like Raipur and Visakhapatnam, from where products made in Bastar will be sent to the country and abroad. The special thing is that a plan is also being made to create a special brand in the name of Bastar, so that the products here have a different identity and can get higher prices.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said that this was not just a project, but the foundation of the future of tribal brothers and sisters. “Our forest produce collectors and farmers will now get better prices for their products, the goods will not spoil for a long time and they will be able to connect directly to the big market. The entire system will be run by the people of Bastar, for the people of Bastar,” Sai added.
This project is proof that if policy, government resources and people’s hard work come together, then even the village economy can shine. The model will now become an example for other tribal areas, where tribal communities can get both their rights and respect. This project will give a new dimension to the picture of Bastar.
