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It may be mentioned that this AIF scheme launched by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India was launched in July 2020. The objective of the AIF scheme is to create post-harvest management infrastructure in agriculture and horticulture value chains. Department of Horticulture is the nodal agency of the state for implementation of AIF scheme in the state.
Horticulture Minister Chetan Singh Jaudamajra said that Punjab has made a lot of progress under the AIF scheme, furthering the dream of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to increase the income of farmers. During the last financial year 2022-23, investments of over Rs 2877 crore have been attracted from 3480 projects. He further informed that Rs 720 crore loans have already been sanctioned, out of which Rs 591 crore loans have already been disbursed by various lending institutions. The leading districts in Punjab to benefit from this scheme are Bathinda (326), Sangrur (326), Patiala (315), Sri Muktsar Sahib (294) and Fazilka (283).
Jaudamajra said that the major agricultural infrastructure built in the state through this scheme includes cold rooms and cold stores, primary processing centers, custom hiring centers, warehouses, sorting and grading units and solar panels on existing agricultural infrastructure. Out of the 35 states and Union Territories participating in the implementation of the scheme, Punjab is currently ranked 11th (as on 31 March 2023).
AIF in Punjab during the current year. Talking about the progress made under the scheme, the minister said that there has been continuous progress since last year. AIF from Punjab The total number of applications uploaded on the portal is more than 5500 and investments of more than Rs.3300 crore have been attracted. He added that through this scheme micro, small and medium entrepreneurs have been helped to set up projects near production areas.
AIF During the conclave, best performing districts and banks were felicitated. District Patiala was awarded for getting maximum sanctioned loans for projects under AIF scheme. State Bank of India has been awarded for disbursing maximum sanctioned loans and disposing of maximum number of applications within the stipulated period of 60 days. Union Bank of India and Punjab Gramin Bank have also been honored in the fixed-term category. The District Incharges of Horticulture Department of Bathinda and Sangrur have been felicitated for their tireless efforts to create awareness and upload maximum number of applications on the AIF portal. Punjab National Bank has been honored for promoting diversity of projects under the AIF scheme. Managing Director of Moga District Central Co-operative Bank and DDM NABARD has been recognized for supporting maximum number of Co-operative Societies in Punjab.
Apart from the above categories, the Nodal Officers of other schemes like PMFME, NHM, PMKSY and MONRE are Mr. Rajnish Tuli, Mr. S.K. Dubey, Mrs. Shailendra Kaur, Mr. M.K. Singh has been recognized for his contribution.
The prominent farmers of Ferozepur were felicitated for their efforts in the development of chilli cluster under the project phase launched by the Punjab government on 17 March 2023.
Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhawan expressed the urgent need to work together to bring more benefits to the farming and entrepreneurial community of Punjab.
Horticulture Minister Chetan Singh Jaudamajra while appreciating the efforts of all partners reaffirmed the commitment of the Horticulture Department to take forward the agricultural diversification agenda and establish sustainable linkages for farmers.
Speaking on the occasion, Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Gurmeet Singh Khudian congratulated the Horticulture Department for achieving great success under the AIF scheme during the last financial year and expressed his desire to closely monitor the progress in the current financial year.
Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) K.A.P. Sinha (IAS) acknowledged the efforts made by the state’s nodal agency horticulture department and suggested adopting a cluster development approach to bridge the gap in the value chain. The speakers emphasized the need to coordinate with other schemes so that central and state level schemes can be leveraged for the benefit of the people of Punjab.
There was a lot of encouragement from the state government to launch initiatives like Project PHASE (Punjab Horticulture Advancement and Sustainable Entrepreneurship) which helped more farmers in Punjab benefit from the AIF scheme and also helped in creating specialty crop clusters.
The project phase was launched during the state level AIF conference in November 2022, where Kultar Singh Sandhawan envisioned the vital role of the horticulture sector in the progressive development of Punjab. Under the able leadership of Horticulture Minister Mr. Chetan Singh Jaudamajra and Agriculture Minister Mr. Gurmeet Singh Khudian, Punjab is poised to diversify the crop value chain and achieve new heights in the field of agribusiness.
In this AIF conference, Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhawan, Horticulture Minister Chetan Singh Jaudamajra, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and Food Processing Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian along with officials, K.A.P. Sinha, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) cum Finance Commissioner, Horticulture, Anurag Aggarwal, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) cum Finance Commissioner Cooperation, Arshdeep Singh Thind, Secretary-Horticulture, Karnail Singh, IAS, MD. Punjab Agro Industries Corporation, Girish Dayalan, IAS, MD. Markfed, Dr. Sukhpal Singh, Chairman, Punjab State Kisan Commission and Samuel Praveen Kumar, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India were present. Apart from this, state level representatives of banking and other lending institutions and officials related to private and non-governmental sectors were also present during this event.
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