Centre gives green signal to 21 cold chain infrastructure projects
The government has approved 29 projects under schemes for integrated cold chain and value addition and creation of backward and forward linkages (BFL).
According to the official statement, Inter-Ministerial Approval Committee (IMAC) meeting chaired by Union Minister for Food Processing Narendra Singh Tomar has approved 21 projects, leveraging investments worth ₹443 crore supported with a grant of ₹189 crore under the Scheme for Integrated Cold Chain and Value Addition have been approved.
Mainstreaming use of bamboo in construction
The Maharashtra Public Works Department has included 12 bamboo items to be used along with modern cement construction in the State Schedule of Rate (SSR) 2020-21.
Secretary of Public Works Department (Roads), Ulhas Debadwar told BusinessLine this will mainstream bamboo for construction by bringing bamboo for use along with cement concrete. A state-level committee has set the rates for the various construction material along with bamboo.
Raising the chips for women potato farmers
Thirty-eight year old Shamima Begum’s eyes shine with pride. The housewife who informally helped her potato-farmer husband in the fields is now an “agri-preneur” in her own right. Along with six other women, she cultivated chip-grade potatoes on one acre of land for Pepsico India, and together the women have earned a tidy profit of ₹14,000.
Split seven ways, the amount may seem small; but for Shamima, it spells her first independent earnings and feels empowering.
