THE STATE Government has started inviting proposals from entrepreneurs for setting up growth centres in the State’s rural pockets under all districts.
The government has earmarked Rs 100 crore for assistance to parties coming forward to establish such centres.
Last year, the government had decided to set up rural growth centres in the State’s 70 districts in a bid to give a push to development in villages.
To be set up at places at least 8 km from urban centres, the growth centres will provide various facilities at one single place for farmers. The centres will make seeds, fertilizers, pesticides and agricultural implements available to farmers, besides providing them with weather-related information.
Among important facilities will be services of agricultural scientists, soil testing facility, disease monitoring, technical education and training for self-employment, marketing facility for products manufactured in rural areas, services of barber, cobbler, ironsmith and washerman, bank loan facility, storage facility like pack house, food processing facility, laboratory for testing produced items and artificial insemination for animals.
As per the notification issued in March and the proposals invited recently, any private company, NGO, cooperative society or self-help group will be allowed to set up growth centres provided it fulfils the specified terms and conditions. The fee for various services to be provided by a growth centre will be decided by the agency running the centre.
{{/usCountry}}As per the notification issued in March and the proposals invited recently, any private company, NGO, cooperative society or self-help group will be allowed to set up growth centres provided it fulfils the specified terms and conditions. The fee for various services to be provided by a growth centre will be decided by the agency running the centre.
{{/usCountry}}The State Government will act only as a facilitator, which will examine proposals and make financial assistance available to eligible agencies. The government will bear 25 per cent of the project cost or Rs 25 lakh, whichever is less, says the notification issued by principal secretary, Rural Development, KK Sinha on March 1.
Once a proposal is cleared, the DM concerned will be responsible for getting all formalities completed by various departments within a month for setting up a growth centre.
Additional rural development commissioner (Programme Implementation) Chandra Pal Arun said work to set up growth centres was in full swing. He said the government had also set up a project inspection and coordination committee in each district.