Courtesy : AIR
The Union Cabinet today took several steps to boost the production of edible oils and reduce the dependence on import. It has given its approval to launch a new Mission on Oil palm to be known as the National Mission on Edible Oils – Oil Palm (NMEO-OP). It will be a new Centrally Sponsored Scheme with a special focus on the North east region and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Speaking to reporters on the Cabinet decisions in New Delhi today, Information and Broadcasting minister Anurag Thakur said, due to the heavy dependence on imports for edible oils, it is important to make efforts for increasing the domestic production of edible oils.
The proposed scheme will subsume the current National Food Security Mission-Oil Palm programme. To give impetus to the North-East and Andaman, the Government will bear additional cost of 2 per cent of the Crude Palm Oil price to ensure that the farmers are paid at par with the rest of the country. To address the issue of shortage of planting material in the country, seed gardens will be provided assistance up to 80 lakhs rupees for 15 hectres in Rest of India and one crore rupees for 15 hectres in North-East and Andaman regions.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved a revival package of 77.45 crore for revival of North Eastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation Limited (NERAMAC). It is a central Public Section Enterprises under the administrative control of Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region.
Revival package will help NERAMAC to implement various innovative plans namely providing better farming facilities, training to farmers in clusters, organic seeds and fertilizer, post harvesting facilities in order to promote the products of North East farmers in the world market.
The Cabinet has given its nod for ratification of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer for phase down of Hydroflurocarbons (HFCs) by India. It was adopted by the Parties to the Montreal Protocol on October, 2016 at 28th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol held at Kigali in Rwanda.
The Cabinet was apprised of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in March this year between the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), and the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief of Bangladesh on Cooperation in the field of Disaster Management, Resilience and Mitigation. The MoU seeks to put in place a system, whereby both India and Bangladesh will be benefited from the Disaster Management mechanisms of each other.The Cabinet also approved Memorandum of Understanding between the Indian Council of Medical Research and the GARDP Foundation on Antimicrobial Resistance Research and Innovation of Switzerland.
The Cabinet has cleared Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)between India and United States of America on cooperation in the field of Geology.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that today’s Cabinet decision on National Mission on Edible Oils – Oil Palm will be a game-changer when it comes to helping oil palm farmers and creating an Aatmanirbhar Bharat. In a tweet, Mr Modi said, the Northeast and Andaman and Nicobar Islands will specially benefit from this. He said, revival of North Eastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation Limited will particularly help the farmers of the region and will further popularise the products of the Northeast across India.
