Chhattisgarh to set up 300 Rural Industrial Parks

• 25 Aug 2022

To strengthen the rural economy and make the “gauthan” (cattle shed) a centre of livelihood, the Chhattisgarh government will set up ‘gramin aajeevika parks’, to be known as ‘rural industrial parks’ in the state.

• In the first year of the project, there will be 300 such parks.
• The project will be launched on Gandhi Jayanti, October 2, 2022.
• It in line with Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of gram swaraj, which is strengthening the rural economy by promoting cottage industries by providing income-generating opportunities.
• The first such park in Chhattisgarh came up in Kulgaon, Kanker district, which has been named Gandhi Gram. The district administration, along with women’s self-help groups, has developed the park.

Activities involved

• Some of the livelihood-related activities are producing vermi-compost, goat rearing, manufacturing incense sticks, dona-pattal (leaf plate) manufacturing, fish farming, egg production, mushroom output, etc.

Initiatives

• The forest department has started a residential training centre, based on the value addition of minor forest produce.
• Chhattisgarh has set up 8,404 gauthans of the 10,624 sanctioned.
• The state government is procuring cow dung at Rs. 2 a kg for making vermi-compost.
• The state government has started procuring cow urine for Rs. 4 a litre for making organic fertilisers and pesticides.
• The state government has been developing basic infrastructure, such as interlocking, cement/concrete roads, dormitories, residential rooms, kitchen halls, building sheds for women’s self-help groups, and underground irrigation pipelines.

Funding

• The government is planning to use District Mineral Foundation (DMF) funds for this.