Tarun Karthick
Campbell Bay, 05 November 2023
The Prime Minister of India, Mr. Narendra Modi, marked a significant moment in the country’s food industry by inaugurating the second edition of the ‘World Food India-2023’ event at Bharat Mandapam, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi on November 3, 2023. During the opening ceremony, the Prime Minister disbursed seed capital assistance to over 1,00,000 Self-Help Group (SHG) members as part of the Pradhan Mantri’s Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises Scheme, aimed at bolstering the performance of SHGs involved in the food processing sector. The ‘World Food India-2023’ event was a platform designed to showcase India as the ‘Food Basket of the World’ and to celebrate 2023 as the International Year of Millet.
In a remarkable demonstration of inclusivity, the inaugural program of ‘World Food India-2023’ brought together SHG beneficiaries from across the country through virtual mode that connected all the states and districts of India. This aligned with the guidelines set by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI), Government of India.
The Directorate of Industries, in collaboration with the Andaman & Nicobar Rural Livelihood Mission (ANIRLM), facilitated the participation of 20 beneficiaries from South Andaman District who are recipients of seed capital assistance in the current fiscal year. These beneficiaries were assembled at the Virtual Conference (VC) studio of the State Informatics Centre at the CPWD building in Dairy Farm.
The Department, with support from ANIRLM and SULM (PBMC), conducted special drives during this financial year to identify 57 SHG members eligible for seed capital assistance under the scheme. After a thorough scrutiny of their applications in line with the Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) guidelines, seed capital assistance totalling Rs. 21,12,600/- was sanctioned to 53 SHG applicants. The Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi, personally released this assistance through ‘One Click Seed Capital Disbursement’ at ‘World Food India-2023.’
The momentous occasion was also witnessed by officials from the Industries Department and ANIRLM.