The Hindu Business Line : ‘Big scope for agro, salt-based units in Nagapattinam’

Nagapattinam, July 13 A workshop on ‘Rural Business Hub’ (RBH) organised by NABARD for the districts of Nagapattinam, Krishnagiri and Villupuram — selected in the State under the RBH scheme among 32 districts identified in the country — was held here recently.

The scheme was an initiative of the Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj envisaging public-private-panchayat partnership that would help develop holistic and integrated partnership between decentralised rural production units and larger corporate entities.

In his inaugural address, the Nagapattinam District Collector, Mr M. Jayaraman, said there is good scope for starting various types of rural industries in Nagapattinam district and the Government has come forward to provide all assistance for the entrepreneurs in coordination with National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD).

Identifying scope

He said that there was tremendous scope for starting agro-based rural industries and salt-based units in the district and a professional facilitator should be appointed to identify the areas where such rural units could be established. The liberalisation policy made everything simple and single-window clearance will be introduced for starting small rural-based units.

He said as many as 52 memoranda of understanding (MoUs) had been signed between small entrepreneurs and panchayats in the district under the RBH scheme of which only a few units had been set up. The facilitator with a committee should take steps to help the entrepreneurs to start the remaining units and get them assistance from NABARD and the Government.

The General Manager, NABARD, Tamil Nadu, Mr P. Selvaraj, in his keynote address said that for the promotion of non-farm activities in rural areas, NABARD had introduced and implementing several schemes.

Encouraging innovation

He pointed out that Rural Innovation Fund had been created to encourage innovation in agro-processing and other rural non-farm activities and facilitating the marketing of non-farm products produced by self-help groups, artisans and craftsmen.

NABARD, which had launched the pilot project for credit linking 500 SHGs in 1991-92, had now achieved credit linkage for more than 30 lakh SHGs in the country.

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