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Itanagar, Dec. 3 (IANS): Arunachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein on Tuesday mooted the idea of setting up an industrial zone in the state to create employment opportunities.
“There is a need for setting up of industrial zone in the state of Arunachal Pradesh, for instance in the pharma industry, which should, in turn, create employment opportunities for our local youth,” Mein said.
He was delivering the inaugural address at the State Level Sensitization and Planning workshop on Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) organised by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard).
Outlining the importance of agriculture and allied sectors in bringing economic development to the state, Mein said, “Arunachal Pradesh having a large area of 83000 sq. km has huge potential for agriculture and allied sectors. I urge the implementing departments and Nabard to work in close coordination so that our state will continue to get optimum benefit.”
Noting that a certain percentage of allocation under RIDF may be utilized for agriculture, the Deputy Chief Minister said that the state government will support progressive FPOs through KVKs from the state budget.
He said that irrigation is the most important sector which needs to be taken care of.
Emphasising on sustainable and timely completion of projects financed under RIDF, Mein stressed on the need for a convergence based approach in project implementation to derive more benefits for the rural masses.
Agriculture Minister Tage Taki suggested changes in PMKSY as suitable to Arunachal Pradesh with more emphasis on open channel irrigation.
He also highlighted the importance of encouraging allied sectors in the state by acknowledging its potential for doubling farmers’ income.
Gopa Kumaran Nair, General Manager/OIC, Nabard, underscored the importance of RIDF as one of the major interventions in the state for sustained growth and boosting private investment.
He also highlighted the need for timely completion of the sanctioned projects to realize the envisaged benefits of the projects.
Nair urged the state government to avail of other funds announced by the central government, such as the Dairy Processing Fund, Micro Irrigation Fund, Warehouse Infrastructure Development Fund, Food Processing Fund and Nabard Infrastructure Development Assistance and encouraged the department officials to submit DPRs on time to minimize the time gap between sanction and implementation of RIDF projects in the state.