Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
* Asks all parties to join hands in restoring Punjab’s glory by fighting against drugs in unison manner
* Lays foundation stone of first-of-its-kind food processing training-cum-business incubation center at Bathinda
* Amul team to visit Mansa for setting up milk processing center
Bathinda, Laying emphasis on a uniform policy for all states to fight against drug abuse in country, the Union Minister for Food Processing Industry Mrs Harsimrat Kaur Badal said that center should put a ban on cultivation of narcotics and its other derivates in some states to check smuggling to other states.
Talking to media persons after laying foundation stone of the first-of-its-kind food processing training-cum-business incubation center at PAU Regional Center in Bathinda, the Union Minister said that Pakistan and Afghanistan fed 85 percent of drugs in the world’s drug market and on the way to international market pushed into India through borders. “During last ten years the Congress had remained at the helm of affairs and it never took an initiative to fight against drugs leaving country in such a state,” she added. The Union Minister called upon all the political parties to fight war against narcotics together for restoring the purportedly defamed glory of Punjab.
She further said that her Ministry of Food Processing Industry is setting up the processing training-cum-business incubation center to train farmers on value addition of their crops, coarse grains and vegetables. “Being the major contributor to central pool for wheat and rice, Punjab has immense potential in food processing sector.
The center would train farmers in such a way that each farmer would be a unit in himself, adding value to his products by processing them and earn better returns. This would not only mean higher gains but also better utilization of agriculture yield and minimum wastage,” she said. She added that an international mega food park in Fazilka has been commissioned and her ministry would encourage setting up of more food parks by offering subsidies to the investors.
Sharing her plans for empowering dairy sector especially women in Mansa district, she said that talks are going on with Amul Milk Cooperative Society Gujarat, to replicate their model in Mansa district. A team from Amul is expected to visit Mansa soon following which the district would be developed into a milk producing center that could meet with the milk and its products’ demand for entire Malwa.
Speaking at the foundation laying ceremony, the Punjab Agriculture University Vice Chancellor Dr Baldev Singh Dhillon said that the food processing training-cum-business incubation center was being developed in collaboration with food processing ministry and Indian institute of crop processing technology (IICPT). The Rs 7 cr project would be completed in next couple of months. It would train 25 to 30 farmers in each batch under the different training modules.
Later, the Union Minister Mrs Harsimrat Kaur Badal also presided over the oath taking ceremony of the newly appointed market committee chairman Sikandar Singh Sidhu at the grain market. She also visited the cattle pound Gopal Krishan Gaushala on Dabwali Road.
She was accompanied by Chief Parliamentary Secretary Sarup Chand Singla, MLA Darshan Singh Kotfatta, Deputy Commissioner Dr Basant Garg, SSP Bathinda Inder Mohan Singh Bhatti, SAD district press secretary Dr Om Prakash Sharma and others.
