New Delhi: On Friday, the Union Cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, gave its nod to a large identification called the “Clean Plant Programme” aimed at improving horticulture, keeping in view the viral diseases affecting fruits and vegetables. The program would be backed by nine advanced centers that will help in enhancing the scheme, as per the statement from Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in the briefing session.
The Clean Plant Programme with a separate budget of ₹1,765 crore, which, in terms of quality and disease-free, would ensure that farmers are provided with better planting material. This will guarantee that nurseries have accreditations to breed improved quality saplings and seeds, which are essential in increasing the yields and quality of horticultural crops. This program shall be controlled by The National Horticulture Board in liaison with the Indian Council for Agricultural Research.
Speaking at the occasion, Minister Vaishnaw pointed out that the program will address multiple agro-regional ecosystems where varieties of clean plants, that is, plants not infected with diseases locally known as ‘blight’ resistant, will be grown. Significantly, this would help augment the productivity and quality of fruits and vegetables in India, the ultimate beneficiaries being farmers and the nation’s export value addition. Indian horticulture exports have apparently crossed ₹50,000 crore in the last decade purely based on the export value rate. Intake of better quality fruits for human consumption is an added advantage that will eventually increase India’s export business.
The Cabinet also extended the PM Jeevan Programme for another five years, which is aimed at popularizing the use of ethanol made from biomass. This extension targets the proposed budget of ₹1,900 crore to promote ethanol production and the volume of ethanol and petrol mixture. Unfortunately, the blending rate was reduced and differentiated, thus 1.5% per decade, up to 16%, according to the data collected by July 2024. The program has also laid down strategies to mix ethanol with aviation turbine fuel, which is noteworthy.
Check here for the latest updates in Hindi!