Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has said that the Central Government has given in-principle approval to link collection of Pirul (dry pine needles) with MNREGA. It will be available to Uttarakhand as a project. In the State, now Pirul will be helpful in dealing with the unemployment problem and enhancing income generation. About 143 items can be prepared from Pirul. Schemes related to it will also be linked with cooperatives, said Rawat.
While addressing the newly elected chairpersons and vice chairpersons of district cooperative banks and Bheshaj Sangh at CM residence late on Monday evening, the Chief Minister said that Pirul can be a major factor of financial strength in the State.
In this regard, few days back, he had requested the Union Rural Development Minister to link the Pirul collection work with MNREGA. Now, the Central Government has given its nod in principle. This will also prove to be a game changer for the State in tackling unemployment and enhancing income of the people.
Rawat said that along with bringing change in rural life, cooperative is a major medium for strengthening the rural economy. Efforts should be made to provide maximum amount of funds for various self employment programmes. With low rates of interest, it can also lead to a change in the society.
For this, people associated with cooperatives will have to go to the general public and also inform them about the schemes. People associated with cooperatives should analyse the situation of those people who had taken loans under the Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Sahakarita Kisan Kalyan Yojana to ascertain how much they benefitted. Under this scheme, three lakh people have been given loans till date.
He said that in the State, clusters of trout fish farming and Angora wool should be established.
Minister of State for Cooperatives, Dhan Singh Rawat said that consistent efforts are being made to connect cooperatives with the people. Focus is also being laid on making the cooperatives corruption-free, he stressed.
The cooperatives secretary R Meenakshi Sundaram and other officials concerned were also present.
