Help with transitioning to organic farming and better marketing as well as market access are the key issues that need to be tackled to scale up organic farming in the country, the latest report of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), 'Market Access for Organic and Natural Produce', says.

 

While transition is getting more traction of late, the report says, not much effort is afoot to create better markets. 'Most ongoing initiatives focus on the transition through capacity-building and incentives. But a lot needs to be done to provide better markets through a structured approach,' said Amit Khurana, director, sustainable food systems programme, CSE on June 21, in a webinar organised to release the report.

 

The report includes six selected case studies from three key stakeholder groups - farmer-producer organisations (FPO), retail corporations and state governments, he added.

 

Speaking on the occasion, Rajashekar Reddy Seelam, founder and managing director of Sresta Natural Bioproducts Private Ltd, Hyderabad, said building trust in organic produce by ensuring that only genuine items is marketed is essential for the success of the sector.

 

Explaining the strategy, Seelam said, 'Farmers are at the core of our business. Initially it was difficult to convince farmers to adopt organic farming as during the first three-to-four years yield reduces. Benefits are visible only later.

 

Keeping this in mind, we identify a location where farmers are pro-organic or use less chemicals. We have 100-plus trained field associates stationed in our project team to guide and support farmers and agronomists in the system.'

 

G V Ramanjaneyulu, executive director of Centre for Sustainable Agriculture, Hyderabad, who is also in the board of Sahaja Aharam Producer Company Limited, a federation of 19 FPOs, talked about the role of FPOs in scaling up organic farming.

 

'FPOs certainly help, more so if federated, as they have the potential to augment resources, help more farmers grow food organically, leverage technology, bring efficiency in systems and help farmers earn more through shorter supply chains by bringing producer and consumer together,' he said.

 

Sahaja, formed in 2014, helps over 9,000 farmers in 11 districts in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to grow food organically at low cost. It is also part of the six case studies featured in the CSE report.

 

Meanwhile, Akash Badave, CEO of Bhoomgadi Organic Farmers Produce Company, Chhattisgarh, said his FPO managed to find its unique selling point in the products growing exclusively in the remote Dhantewade region of Chhattisgarh.

 

The CSE report elaborates on how Bhoomgadi helped over 2,700 organic farmers from 122 villages overcome market-access limitations due to their remoteness.

 

Addressing the webinar, Badave stressed that consumer education is crucial to take the organic movement forward. 'We need to intensely work with the consumers. Actually, that is going to be the key. A lot of work until now has been done with the farmers. Now, we need to work very closely with the consumers, aggregating consumers, changing the behaviour, changing the attitudes and expectations,' added Badave.

 

For Dinesh Balam, state coordinator of Odisha Millet Mission, which was among the case studies done for the CSE report, there is no point in trying to redesign a system without specifically addressing the existing problems.

 

'When it comes to millet, one of the criticisms is that millets are not cleaned properly. There's always mud on the surface of ragi, for instance. To address this, we looked at the institutions that are there at village-level that can help farmers to ensure proper cleaning post harvesting. Every village has women self-help group. So, what we do in our programme is that we empower these women to run post-harvesting centres. We supply them the needed equipment so farmers can process post harvesting at village level. The other question when it comes to millet is that how we increase household consumption. In Odisha, we engage women's groups again to create an awareness among end users.'

 

Manoj Gupta, principal extension specialist, state project implementing unit of Prakritik Kheti Khushhal Kisan Yojana (PK3Y), Himachal Pradesh, said one of the things that they realised during the implementation of their programme is that there is a need to simplify certifications, as too many confuse consumers.

 

The CSE report also highlights how PK3Y Himachal has come up with a simpler certification system specifically for natural farming. According to Gupta, Himachal tried to make a certification methodology that is also scalable with other certification systems operational at the national and international level. This self-assessed certification mechanism (Certified Evaluation Tool for Agriculture Resource Analysis-Natural) has been made accessible through a web portal since October 2022, he added.

 

'More than 11,000 farmers have submitted the information online and around 6,000 farmers have been certified by the online platform created for this innovative certification,' said Gupta.

 

The report also has a chapter on BigBasket, an online supermarket that sells products from 70 different organic brands, including its own BB Royal Organic and BB Fresho Organic.

 

The event was attended not only by farmers and FPOS, but also other stakeholders involved in organic farming. 'Consumer awareness and Direct-to-Consumer channels need to be developed to help farmers get a better price realisation,' farm-to-fork professional Bhisham Thakkar pointed out during the session.

 

Thangapandian, who runs the NGO Farm India in Trichy, which pushes for collective farming as well as teaches enterprise skills to farmers, said the biggest takeaway from the report is that if the farmers want to get a good price for their produce, be it in organic or even chemical farming, they have to band together as collectives.

 

'It is impossible for small farmers especially, to expect a fair price for the products if they are standing alone,' Thangapandian said.

India has authorized the export of broken rice to Senegal, Gambia, and Indonesia in response to requests made by the respective nations, announced the Directorate-General of Foreign Trade (DGFT). However, the specific quantity of broken rice permitted for export to these countries has not been disclosed.

 

According to a trade notice issued on Tuesday, the DGFT stated that only exporters who have shipped all types of rice to Senegal, Gambia, and Indonesia over the past three years will be granted a quota for exporting broken rice.

 

Previously, the Indian government had imposed a ban on broken rice exports on September 8, 2022. However, the ban was amended on May 24, 2023, allowing shipments to countries to address their food security needs, based on their respective government's requests.

 

Exporters have been instructed by the DGFT to file applications online between Thursday and June 30, seeking to ship a minimum threshold of 8,000 tonnes of broken rice via sea. The DGFT emphasized that applications would only be considered if the exporter applies for a quantity exceeding the minimum threshold.

 

The allocation of broken rice export quotas will be determined on a pro-rata basis, taking into account the average export of all rice varieties to the respective countries over the three preceding years before the financial year in which the shipments were initially restricted.

 

Exporters will be granted permits valid until December 31 and will be required to submit a 'landed certificate' upon completion of exporting their allocated quota of broken rice within one month.

 

Earlier in February, the Indian government, under special consideration during the ban on shipments, approved exports of 250,000 tonnes of broken rice to Senegal, 100,000 tonnes to Gambia, and 9,900 tonnes to Djibouti.

 

The Agriculture and Processed Food Products' Export Development Authority (APEDA) has expressed its concern to exporters regarding the elevated levels of aflatoxin found in groundnuts, peanuts and processed peanut products being exported. 

 

APEDA sent a letter notifying exporters that significant amounts of aflatoxin were detected in export consignments to countries such as Singapore, Russia, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and EU nations.

 

The letter also served as a warning to exporters, urging them to comply with the guidelines set forth by the Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT). 

 

Failure to adhere to these regulations would result in severe actions, including the potential termination of approval for groundnut and peanut processing units, as well as other penalties as dictated by government regulations, stated APEDA.

 

APEDA received alerts and trade complaints concerning the high levels of aflatoxin present in exported groundnut, peanut, and processed peanut products. These findings appear to violate the established standards set by the DGFT and APEDA.

The PM-Kisan Mobile App with Face Authentication Feature was launched by Union Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Shri Narendra Singh Tomar under the central government's ambitious and popular scheme for income support to farmers 'Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi'. Best example of modern technology using Face Authentication Feature from this app farmer can complete e-KYC remotely, sitting at home easily by scanning face without OTP or fingerprint and helped 100 other farmers to do e-KYC at their home. Recognizing the need to make e-KYC mandatory, the Government of India has extended the ability of farmers to perform e-KYC to officers of state governments, so that each officer can complete the e-KYC process for 500 farmers.

 

Thousands of farmers present in Krishi Vigyan Kendras across the country, as well as officers of the Central and State Governments and representatives of various government agencies and agricultural organizations were virtually connected to the event held at Krishi Bhavan, New Delhi. On this occasion, Union Minister Shri Tomar said that Prime Minister Kisan Samman Nidhi is a very comprehensive and ambitious scheme of the Government of India, in the implementation of which the state governments have performed their role very diligently, as a result of which we are in a position to pay the installment of the scheme about 8.5 crore farmers after KYC. The more refined this platform the more it will be useful for PM-Kisan and whenever any benefit has to be given to the farmers, complete data will be available with the Central and State Governments, so that no problem can arise in data verification.

 

Shri Tomar stated that PM-Kisan is an innovative scheme whose benefits are being given by the central government to the farmers without any middlemen. Today, it has become possible to give benefits to such a large number of farmers only with the help of technology. No one can question the implementation of this entire scheme which is a very important achievement. The work has become much easier by using technology the GoI developed this App. The Government of India has made all the necessary facilities available to the states, now if the states work more quickly, then we will reach to all the beneficiaries and achieve the set target.

 

Union Minister Shri Tomar said that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has been continuously insisting that if sufficient funds are available for the scheme, then we have reached saturation. Work is going on in this direction in other states including Uttar Pradesh and on completion of which, maximum number of eligible farmers will be able to get the 14th installment of the scheme. Shri Tomar requested that all the state governments should act in this regard.

 

In the program, Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Shri Kailash Choudhary said that the agriculture sector is benefiting from technology and the new facility of this app will also provide a lot of convenience to the farmers. Union Agriculture Secretary Shri Manoj Ahuja also kept his views. Additional Secretary Shri Pramod Kumar Mehrada explained the features of the app. The program was coordinated by the departmental advisor Shri Manoj Kumar Gupta. On this occasion, officials of state governments also shared their experiences related to the benefits of scheme and app. Efforts will also be made to connect more and more farmers with the app through the youth and on the basis of the prescribed criteria, certificates will be given by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare to the youth who help in this.

 

PM Kisan is one of the world's largest DBT schemes in which farmers get Rs 6,000 directly transferred through Aadhaar  linked bank accounts in three installments in a year. 2.42 lakh crore has been transferred to the accounts of more than 11 crore farmers, of whom more than 3 crore were women. PM Kisan Yojana proved to be a strong partner for the farmers even during the lockdown at the time of covid. The scheme has ensured necessary facilities by providing direct financial assistance to the farmers and has given them confidence in difficult times. Now the difficulties related to Aadhaar verification and bank account details updation on PM Kisan Portal have been resolved by effective use of digital public goods.

 

For the first time, it is seen that more than 8.1 crore farmers were successfully paid the 13th installment of PM Kisan directly into their Aadhaar linked bank accounts through Aadhaar Enabled Payment only, which is a record in itself. The new app is very easy to use and easily available for download on the Google Play Store. The app will also provide very important information related to the scheme and PM Kisan accounts to the farmers. In this, farmers can know the status of landseeding, linking of Aadhaar with bank accounts and e-KYC using the No User Status Module. The department has also roped in India Post Payment Bank (IPPB) to open Aadhaar linked bank accounts for beneficiaries at their doorstep and asked CSCs to organize village-level e-KYC camps with the help of States/UTs.

The Solvent Extractors’ Association (SEA) of India, which has been supporting the establishment of model farms for rape-mustard and castor, now has similar plans for groundnut also.

 

The managing committee of SEA, which met on June 16, has decided to establish 100-150 model groundnut farms in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan during the current season.

 

In his monthly letter to members, Ajay Jhunjhunwala, President of SEA of India, said groundnut is a major crop and needs more attention for productivity.

 

'Considering our experience for castor and mustard model farm projects, the Managing Committee at the meeting held on June 16, 2023, decided to extend the model farm project for groundnut,' he said.

 

Urging stakeholders to support the project financially, he said the contribution qualifies as CSR (corporate social responsibility) activity under Section 135 of the Companies Act 2013.

 

Stating that SEA and Solidaridad were working on rape-mustard model farms for the last four years, he said the results were quite encouraging with increases in productivity.

 

Referring to the SEA team’s meeting with Manoj Ahuja, Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare, in New Delhi in June, Jhunjhunwala said he had appreciated SEA’s role in promoting mustard model farms.

 

Ahuja also desired to know the names of companies interested in setting up oil palm plantation in the North-East, and asked the association to prepare a note on the challenges and opportunity in oil palm plantation from industry’s point of view. Ahuja also agreed to support the visit of a delegation of interested companies to the North-East to explore the opportunity, he said.

 

MSP

Welcoming the government’s decision to increase the MSP (minimum support price) for kharif crops, he said the government must buy at MSP. Currently, rapeseed is quoted at Rs.5,100 a quintal against the MSP of Rs.5,450 a quintal. Stating that mustard farmers were totally discouraged, he said it was quoted at Rs.7,000-7,500 a quintal at the time of sowing.

 

In Haryana, sunflower seed price has fallen much below the MSP of Rs.6,400 a quintal, leading to protests by farmers.

 

This may result in lower acreage under soya in kharif and mustard in rabi and overall production of oilseeds, he said.

 

Thai palm

Referring to the recent visit of BV Mehta, Executive Director of SEA, Suresh Motwani, General Manager (Oilseeds) of Solidaridad, and Kailash Singh, Managing Director of Tefla, to Thailand to understand its palm oil complex, Jhunjhunwala said Thai CPO (crude palm oil) producers and exporters are keen to develop direct rapport with Indian importers and refiners. SEA is expecting a delegation from Thailand to attend the annual general meeting of SEA and Globoil India during September 28-30.

 

At the invitation of the Thai government, SEA plans to depute a trade delegation during the last week of August to study Thai palm oil complex and develop direct rapport with producers and exporters, he said.

India and the United States have agreed to end six trade disputes at the World Trade Organisation and New Delhi will also lift retaliatory customs duties on 28 American products.

 

This is likely to shore up trade between the nations and also help Indian exporters get key tax advantages.

 

The decisions come amid Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's State Visit to the US at the invitation of President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden.

 

The US, in 2018, had imposed 25 per cent and 10 per cent import taxes on certain steel and aluminium products, respectively, on grounds of national security. In retaliation, India in June 2019 imposed customs duties on 28 American products, including chickpeas, lentils, almonds, walnuts, apples, boric acid, and diagnostic reagents.

 

United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai today announced that the United States and the Republic of India have agreed to terminate six outstanding disputes at the World Trade Organization. 'India also agreed to remove retaliatory tariffs which it had imposed in response to the Section 232 national security measures on steel and aluminium,' Tai said on Thursday.

 

It added that these tariff cuts will restore and expand market opportunities for US agricultural producers and manufacturers.

 

'Today's agreement represents the culmination of intensified bilateral engagement over the last two years, including through the US-India Trade Policy Forum, to deepen our economic and trade ties,' Tai said.

 

'As a result of our work, US agricultural producers and manufacturers will now enjoy renewed access to a critical global market and we will strengthen our trade relationship with one of our closest partners. I look forward to continuing to work with my counterpart, (India's Commerce and Industry) Minister (Piyush) Goyal, as we identify additional ways to bring our people and our economies together,' she added.

 

The six disputes include three initiated by India and as many by the US.

 

These include countervailing measures on certain hot-rolled carbon steel flat products from India, certain measures relating to solar cells and modules, measures relating to the renewable energy sector, export-related measures, certain measures on steel and aluminium products, and additional duties on some products from the US.

 

According to trade experts, both countries can resolve the disputes on mutually agreed terms and later inform the Geneva-based WTO about the same.

 

The US had filed a complaint in the WTO about India's support measures to its export sector under different schemes. In 2019, a WTO dispute panel ruled that India's export measures are inconsistent with global trade norms.

 

The US is the largest trading partner of India. In 2022-23, the bilateral goods trade increased to USD 128.8 billion as against USD 119.5 billion in 2021-22.

 

According to WTO rules, a member country can file a case in the Geneva-based multilateral body if they feel that a particular trade measure is against the norms of the world body. Bilateral consultation is the first step to resolving a dispute. If both sides are not able to resolve the matter through consultation, either of them can approach the establishment of a dispute settlement panel.

 

The panel's ruling or report can be challenged by WTO's appellate body.

 

Interestingly, the appellate body is not functioning because of differences among member countries to appoint its members. Several disputes are already pending with this body. The US has been blocking the appointment of the members.

Traders in Nepal have resumed importing onions from India, more than two weeks after they stopped buying from the neighbouring country following the Nepal government's move to impose a hefty 13 per cent Value-Added Tax (VAT) on vegetables last month.

 

Vegetable vendors started bringing onions to the Kalimati Fruits and Vegetable Market, Kathmandu's main vegetable trading centre, on Monday, with the largest consignments of onions being poured in on Tuesday and Wednesday.

 

'Onions have started arriving in the Kalimati Fruits and Vegetable Market,' said Arjun Prasad Aryal, Deputy Executive Director of the market's Development Committee.

 

'In total, 145 metric tonnes of onions arrived in Kathmandu's major vegetable wholesale market on Tuesday and Wednesday,' Aryal said, adding that there is a smooth supply of the vegetable in the market as traders have started bringing onions by paying VAT.

India’s non-Genetically engineered oil meal are in demand from Europe, and Middle-East and South-East Asian countries. The export of oil meals has increased by 72 per cent in 2023 May compared to May 2022. 

 

India’s non-Genetically Modified (non-GM) soybean meals are preferred mainly by certain European countries and the USA over Genetically Modified (GM), mostly grown in Brazil, Argentina and the USA. 

 

'Indian Soybean Meal being non-GM has an advantage and being preferred by especially western nations where awareness of environmental impacts are high,' said BV Mehta, Executive Director, The Solvent Extractors’ Association of India. 

 

The major importers of Indian oil meals in Western countries are the USA, followed by Canada, France, New Zealand, and the rest of Europe. 

 

The exports of oil meals for May 2023 reported 4.36 lakh tonnes (LT) compared to 2.54 LT in May 2022. It is up by 72 per cent. The overall export of oil meals from April to May 2023 was reported at 930,044 tons compared to 586,415 tons during the same period of last year, mainly due to the sharp increase in soybean and rapeseed meal exports. Out of it, the export of rapeseed meals has set a new record since the export started.

 

'It is hearting to note that this financial year (2022-23), the export of rapeseed meal has set a new record and reported at 2.3 million tonnes, ever highest since export started,' said Mehta.

 

The major consumers of Indian soybean meal are South East Asia, where India has a logistic advantage and also falls in price. The rupee depreciation also pushed the overall export. 'There is around a 36 percent fall in the price of soybean since April 2022 which also made India’s soybean more lucrative,' says Manoj Shukla, a Mumbai-based oilseeds commodity analyst. 

 

The soybean price fell from over 7600 per quintal in April 2022 to Rs 4900 per quintal in May 2023, helping in reviving the export. Major importers of Indian oil meals are South Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Bangladesh and other far-east countries.  

Mango exports to countries such as the US and Australia are likely to register nearly 200 per cent growth this season at between 2,200 and 2,500 tonnes on higher demand and improved availability of quality produce. Also, factors such as the decline in international air freight rates and the commencement of additional irradiation facility in Gujarat have aided the shipments, APEDA sources said.

 

Indian mango exports to US and Australia undergo an irradiation process, where the fruit is exposed to gamma radiation that kills the insects or pests inside the fruit. The irradiation facility are located in Mumbai, Nashik, Bengaluru and the latest one in Ahmedabad operationalised this year.

 

'By the end of this season in July, we expect the mango exports from irradiation facilities to be in the range of 2,200-2,500 tonnes, almost a 200 per cent increase over last year’s 891 tonnes, mainly to the US,' an APEDA source said.

 

Air freights

Kaushal Khakhar, CEO, Kay Bee Exports, a large exporter, said the rationalisation of air freights have made Indian mangoes viable for the consumers in the US this season. Also the price gap between the Indian mango and the Latin American one, which was in multiples earlier, has now reduced giving an incentive for the Indian diaspora to try it out. That’s why the shipments have more than doubled this year, Khakhar said.

 

KS Ravi, Managing Director, Innova Agri Bio Park in Bengaluru, said the shipments from his facility will be touching a record high of 500 tonnes this year, an increase of 100 per cent over the previous year, on strong demand from the US and Australia. Innova, the only gamma irradiation facility for fruits and vegetables in South India, gets mangoes from registered farms in Vijayawada, Nellore, Kadapa, Chittoor and Kolar among others.

 

'We export all varieties of mangoes such as Banganapalle, Imampasand, Rasalu and Kesar among others. There is a huge demand, but we are unable to meet as we are not getting enough quality mangoes,' Ravi said.

 

Exporters said the shipments to other countries have also seen an increase and the overall Indian mango exports, which stood at 22,923 tonnes during 2022-23, are expected to rise this year.

Department for the Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade  and Invest India in collaboration with the Department of Industries and Commerce, Nagaland, and Press Information Bureau Kohima organized an ODOP Sampark event on the 21st of June 2023 at the Hotel Vivor, Kohima, Nagaland. The event was graced by the Smt. Sumita Dawra, Special Secretary, DPIIT, Govt. of India, Shri R. Ramakrishnan, IAS, Development Commissioner, Govt. of Nagaland and Shri Kekhrievor Kevichusa, Commissioner & Secretary, Industries & Commerce, Govt of Nagaland

 

The event was organized to create awareness regarding the efforts of DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Govt of India through its two flagship Initiative One District One Product (ODOP) and PM Gati Shakti (Logistics).

 

Smt. Sumita Dawra, Special Secretary, DPIIT, Govt. of India highlighted the efforts of DPIIT and Invest India in conducting a National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) Drive in Kohima, Nagaland on 20th June 2023 for Chilli from Nagaland.

 

The workshop was attended by over 30 farmers of Chili from Kohima, Nagaland.

The documentation for the organic certification for over 15 chili farmers from Kohima was done during the workshop and the remaining will be completed soon after the verification of their documents.

This will play a major role in ensuring better access for Indian products in foreign markets like the EU, Switzerland, etc, and help gain better prices for the farmers.

She also highlighted that efforts will be undertaken to improve the logistics facilities for ODOP products from Nagaland like chili, turmeric, kiwi, pineapple, etc, through the Krishi UDAN scheme, expanding railway connectivity, etc.

She also noted that the Union Budget 2023-24 has allocated Rs 5000 crore for the construction of Unity Malls across the country. This will function as a one-stop marketplace for ODOP products across the country.

It was also highlighted that INR 145 Crores has been allocated for the proposed Unity Mall planned by the State government in Dimapur.

The One District One Product Awards have been instituted by DPIIT to acknowledge the extraordinary work done by States/ UTs, Districts, and Indian Missions Abroad, for the economic development of the State and contribute towards the realization of the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat through the ODOP approach.  The Awards will be launched on 25th June 2023 in the Rashtriya Puraskar Portal.

The local officials representing the Department of Industries, Agriculture, Horticulture and APEDA also highlighted the need for an integrated Customs Depo, a dedicated Krishi rail wagon up to Dimapur, and connectivity under the Krishi Udan Scheme for connectivity of organic products.

 

The Special Secretary also assured that these matters will be proactively taken up with all concerned Ministries/Departments under the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan.

The official from DPIIT Invest also highlighted the efforts  under the ODOP Initiative for the empowerment of Indian products through interventions like Design sensitization workshops, ODOP GeM Bazaar on Government e-Marketplace, ODOP exhibitions, etc.

 

The event also witnessed an ODOP Exhibition of ODOP products from Nagaland including Chili, fish, coffee, turmeric, etc. It also provided an opportunity for the media to interact with ODOP farmers from Nagaland. The farmers were also able to raise their concerns with the officials for the promotion and empowerment of producers from Nagaland.

 

A review meeting on PM GatiShakti National Master Plan (NMP) under the chairpersonship of Special Secretary (Logistics) with officials of Govt of Nagaland being organized at Kohima on 21st June 2023. The objective of the meeting is to promote wider adoption of PM GatiShakti for holistic planning, bring more vigor and build synergy with all the stakeholders of the PM GatiShakti NMP.

The meeting was addressed by Sh Jan e Alam, Chief Secretary, Govt of Nagaland and Ms Sumita Dawra, Special Secretary (Logistics), DPIIT

Over 30 officials of Govt of Nagaland comprising the members from Empowered Group of Secretaries (EGoS) and Network Planning Group (NPG) of State attended the meeting.

PM GatiShakti is a transformative approach which was launched on October 13th, 2021 by the Hon’ble Prime Minister for planning & building Next Generation Infrastructure in the country, thereby promoting multimodal logistics connectivity to improve both Ease of Living as well as Ease of Doing Business.

Special Secretary in her presentation addressed the adoption of PM GatiShakti with a holistic approach and demonstrations of best practices by Ministries and States. Deliberations on requirements for State Master Planning, with special attention on data quality management, area development approach for developing economic centres in the North East, strengthening the North East corridor through adequate multimodal connectivity, Area planning approach for upcoming infrastructure projects, use of technology for improving logistics efficiency were the main highlights of the meeting.

Since the launch of PM GatiShakti National Master Plan, the Nagaland State has created requisite framework in terms of Institutional Arrangements/Policy Formulation for alignment with PM GatiShakti framework. Empowered Group of Secretaries (EGoS), Network Planning Group (NPG), and Technical Support Unit (TSU) have been constituted in the State comprising various departments like Power, Roads, Urban Development, Tourism, Transport etc. As on 13th June, 2023 out of 30 mandatory data layers, twenty-two (total/partial) have been integrated in the State Master Plan (SMP) platform. Data layers such has Forest, Eco sensitive zones, Village habitations, Economic areas, Roads, etc have been integrated.

As part of Special Assistance Scheme for the States under Part-II for the FY 2022-23, an amount of Rs 28.43 crores was disbursed for the projects mentioned

 

Modern Aggregation Centre at Longnak, Mokokchung District

Modern Aggregation Centre at Changtongya, Mokokchung District

Integrated warehouse and distribution center at Meluri, Phek District

PM GatiShakti Data center at Kohima

Modern Aggregation Centre at Pfutsero, Phek District

 

 

Five projects submitted as part of State Annual Action Plan have been mapped on the SMP. Development of Customised tools important for economic and social infrastructure planning and for decision making is under discussion with BISAG-N

To complement the PM GatiShakti NMP, the National Logistics Policy (NLP) was launched to address the components of improving efficiency in logistics services and human resource through streamlining processes, regulatory framework, skill development, mainstreaming logistics in higher education and adoption of suitable technologies. To bring a holistic focus on Logistics at State level, Nagaland State Logistics Policy is under final draft stage with State.

The State participated in the Fourth Regional Workshop of PM GatiShakti for North East Regional Workshop which was conducted on 24-25th March 2023 in Guwahati, Assam.

State has been regularly participating in zonal review meetings and interacts with DPIIT officials for better coordination on the adoption of PM GatiShakti.

The training and capacity building of Govt officers from the State have been done at BISAG-N, Gandhinagar

 

 

The meeting concluded with the following remarks from Ms Sumita Dawra, Special Secretary, Logistics, DPIIT, Govt. of India requesting the State on the following:

 

 

Use NMP/SMP for planning all upcoming infrastructure projects.

Improve data mapping and authenticity of data on the data layers mapped on SMP.

Focus on development of economic centres in the North East through appropriate infrastructure and logistics development.

Usage of SMP for Area Development Approach on the identified area

Identify critical infrastructure gaps and ensure they are taken up for connectivity projects.

Onboarding of social sector departments of the State in PM Gatishakti for Planning of social infrastructure

Leverage local remote sensing agencies / space agencies for development of geo-tagged data, under guidance of BISAG-N, Ahmedabad

Sensitizing and penetration of PMGS adoption at district level for effective area development planning, to improve both Ease of Doing Business and Ease of Living of citizens.

Annexture

 

Background on ODOP

 

The ODOP initiative is a visionary program aligned with the Hon’ble Prime Minister's vision of fostering inclusive development across all districts of India. The objective is to identify and promote a distinct product from each district, thereby creating a niche identity for them. By focusing on these chosen products, ODOP aims to drive holistic socio-economic growth and improve market accessibility.  Over 1000 products have been selected from all 761 districts of the country. The products are selected by the State Government in consultation with district administration.

 

The ODOP initiative covers a wide range of products spanning textiles, agricultural produce, processed goods, pharmaceuticals, and industrial items. The aim is to promote and harness the diverse expertise present in different sectors and communities across the country. 

 

By identifying and addressing challenges throughout the supply chain, enhancing market reach, and providing dedicated support to producers, ODOP aims to transform districts into prominent market hubs for their chosen products. Through this comprehensive approach, ODOP is set to empower districts, promote entrepreneurship, and contribute to the overall economic growth and prosperity of the nation.