Path to Viksit Bharat will be built across our villages: FM Sitharaman

New Delhi, Oct 27 (IANS) The path to Viksit Bharat will be built not merely in cities or industrial hubs but across our villages, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Monday.

In a series of posts on X social media platform, citing a media article written by her, she said this will be achieved by empowering farmers as entrepreneurs, converting every district into a processing hub, and ensuring that the fruits of India’s progress reach every household.

“An umbrella brand of Kalyana Sampada was created, and each district was encouraged to identify an agri-product or a set of products that could be developed into value-added commodities,” said FM Sitharaman.

The initiative aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of 'One District, One Product' programme as an extension of Make in India for our ‘annadatas’ (farmers).

“In each district, a farmer producer company (FPC) was chosen by NABARD to operate the food processing and training units. My MPLADS funds were leveraged to support farmers of the region by bringing agro-processing capabilities to their doorstep,” the finance minister informed.

According to her, agro-processing today demands capital, technology, and market linkages.

“In an increasingly protectionist global environment, strengthening our domestic food processing capacity is a national security priority. Self-sufficiency in food processing ensures resilience against global disruptions and creates rural prosperity in tandem,” she mentioned in her X posts.

India is primed for this leap. In the true spirit of cooperative federalism, the Centre and states must join hands to scale and replicate these successful models nationwide, FM Sitharaman added.

Earlier this month, Sitharaman assured farmers of full support to boost agricultural income, as she inaugurated the Farmers Training and Common Facility Centre and a new agro-processing unit here.

Addressing the gathering in Karnataka, she highlighted initiatives like soil health cards, fertilisers, financial assistance, and the increased MSP for foodgrains and pulses.

--IANS

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