Lucknow: Soon after yoga guru Ramdev’s Patanjali threatened scrapping of a planned mega food park along the Yamuna Expressway in Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath swiftly moved to remove the bottlenecks the project is facing.
Yogi Adityanath has spoken to both Ramdev and Patanjali Ayurved chief Acharya Balkrishna, and officials have been asked to look into the matter.
"We (Patanjali) trust the assurance given by Yogi Adityanath (Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister). CM spoke to Acharya Balkrishan and Baba Ramdev and assured cooperation. We respect the commitment given by Yogiji. We will not let the important food park go out of UP," said S K Tijarawala, Spokesperson for Patanjali.
The food processing unit, planned over 450 acres near the Yamuna Expressway in Noida near Delhi, was expected to improve the livelihoods of lakhs of farmers and provide huge employment opportunities for young people of Uttar Pradesh.
Patanjali had said it would create 10,000 jobs and produce goods worth Rs 25,000 crore annually, if it runs to its full capacity.
On Tuesday, Acharya Balkrishna, managing director of the fast-growing consumer goods giant, had delivered a stinging rebuke to the state government. Alleging that they did not receive "any cooperation from the state government", Acharya Balkrishna said the company has decided to shift the project.
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"The Chief Minister talked to Baba Ramdev yesterday... There is no need to sign another MoU. It'll be brought before cabinet," UP minister Satish Mahana told on Wednesday. It is not yet decided when the cabinet meeting will be held.
Patanjali's food and herbal park was given in-principle approval in January, said officials of the centre's food processing ministry. But after the company failed to meet several conditions -- including submission land and bank loan papers - they were given a month's deadline.
Acharya Balkrishna, the co-founder of Patanjali Ayurved who owns 98.6 per cent of the company, told the media that they haven't been able to complete the paperwork because they received no help from the state government. The company had several meetings with officials, ministers and even the Chief Minister, but the matter remained unresolved.
Minister Satish Mahana, who is the industry minister in Yogi Adityanath's government, explained the delay saying, "The land was allotted under the name of Patanjali Ayurveda, but later they wanted it under Patanjali Foods".
