Badal reviews agro-processing cluster scheme

The ministry extended the timeline for many projects where plants and machineries could not be installed due to the nationwide lockdown. Badal held video conferences with the promoters of the ongoing Agro-processing Clusters (APCs) supported by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries under the Scheme for Creation of Infrastructure for Agro-processing Clusters, an official statement said.

Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Friday reviewed the scheme that promotes creation of infrastructure for agro-processing clusters. The ministry extended the timeline for many projects where plants and machinery could not be installed due to the nationwide lockdown.

Badal held video conferences with the promoters of the ongoing Agro-processing Clusters (APCs) supported by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries under the Scheme for Creation of Infrastructure for Agro-processing Clusters, an official statement said. Minister of State for food processing Rameshwar Teli was also present in the meeting.

As many as 36 projects approved by the ministry spread across Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, J&K, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh were reviewed. The promoters shared their experience as well as problems faced in the implementation of the projects.

Badal said the ministry has devised a new mechanism to substitute the need for physical site inspection required in these projects. Monthly Virtual inspections are being carried out by leveraging information technology tools.

The monitoring and evaluation of the progress of a project are carried out by a team by adopting a virtual inspection model. Other concerns related to operations, labor, and logistics issues were also taken into consideration to help out the promoters of the projects.

"Therefore, many projects have been given an extension of completion date as the installation of plant and machinery had suffered delays on account of lockdown restrictions," the statement said.