With an aim to generating employment, the Yogi government has decided to the lay red carpet to private investors to set up food parks at four corners of the state. An announcement to this effect was made by Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on Thursday.
Maurya said in lucknow that the government will offer several subsidies to attract investors which include providing land at concessional rates and solve other problems including environment clearance through a single window.
The Deputy CM, however, did not say as to where these Food Parks would be set up. “This depends on the private investors. But the Government wants that one Food Park each be set up at the four corners of the state,” he said hinting that these would come up in Purvanchal (eastern UP), Bundekhand, Awadh region (central UP) and western part of the state.
Maurya said that the Parks would come up in regions which have transport facilities and easy market and where warehouses could be set up.
“These Food Parks will help in generating employment as well as provide easy market for the farmers. The warehouses will ensure that vegetables did not perish easily,” he said.
Food Parks are set up at the cost of Rs 200 crore of which Rs 50 crore is given by Government of India as subsidy.
Incidentally, the schemes of setting up of Food Parks have been a non-starter in UP. One of such projects in Amethi created a political furore as the Modi Government cancelled the Food Park project in April 2015 whose foundation stone was laid by Rahul Gandhi on October 7, 2013. Another Food Park project was initiated by Patanjali group at the cost of Rs 1600 crore but that is yet to see the light of the day.