Govt marks Rs 10 lakh each for 585 mandis for waste management

New Delhi: Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh today said the government will provide Rs 10 lakh each to 585 mandis for setting up waste management plants and has also decided to earmark one per cent fund of the flagship Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojna (RKVY) for the cleanliness drive.

The ministry observed Swachhta Pakhwada during October 16-31.

"We have prepared Swachhta Action Plan and we have decided to provide Rs 10 lakh each to 585 mandis across the country for setting up waste management plants," Singh told reporters.

This will be under the electronic national agriculture market (e-NAM) scheme.

The government has integrated 250 mandis in 10 states with the electronic national agriculture market (e-NAM) in the first phase.

Stating that the cleanliness drives were undertaken in 271 agricultural mandis during Swachhta Pakhwada, he said there is a need to manage waste fruits and vegetables to keep these mandis clean.

Singh said it has been decided that under one flagship scheme, RKVY, one per cent funds will be spent on solid and waste management.

In this year's budget, about Rs 5,000 crore was allocated under this scheme, a senior official said. The minister highlighted the cleanliness activities undertaken by the three departments under his ministry — Department of Agriculture & Co-operation, Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries and Department of Agricultural Research & Education — across the country.

Singh added that the agri research institutes and 648 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) took active part in the Swachhta Pakhwada activities, including cleaning of campuses, residential areas, villages and localities in their vicinity.

"Each KVKs will adopt five villages for undertaking activities related to cleanliness," he said further.