The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Madurai News : Agro-based industries set to revolutionise rural economy

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Dec 28, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Madurai

Agro-based industries set to revolutionise rural economy

By J.V. Siva Prasanna Kumar

MADURAI, DEC.27. The agro-based industries that have come up in most of the 13 blocks in the district are all set to revolutionise the rural scenario especially in improving the economy and in generating employment for rustic youth, thanks to an impetus provided by the administration and the District Industries Centre, to the New Anna Marumalarchi Thittam.

The State Government scheme lays a special emphasis on improving rural Tamil Nadu economically and socially and this has paved the way for fully exploiting the industrial potential in all blocks.

Sources at the Collectorate told The Hindu here today that the already established 10 units would revolutionise the rural economy, as they had facilitated provision of jobs to several rural youths, including women, with little education even in the industrially backward blocks such as Usilampatti, T. Kallupatti, Madurai East, Vadipatti, Alanganallur and Kottampatti. The units had succeeded in providing alternative employment.

The success of the projects was largely thanks to a number of campaigns that were conducted in the industrially backward and most backward blocks. The prosperous entrepreneurs were motivated by disseminating information on the viable projects that were available under the NAMT.

Sources said the Alanganallur, Madurai East, Usilampatti and Vadipatti blocks, that have been declared industrially backward, were poised to register a change for the better soon. The response from the rural entrepreneurs to the NAMT in the district has been overwhelming and many have come forward and established the units.

25 projects cleared

The State-level coordination committee has cleared 25 projects for the district and of them Pasteurisation of milk, dal milling, ice cream making, rice milling, coir pith blocks manufacturing, cold storage, jasmine concentrate extraction units and manufacture of herbal products and homoeopathy medicines and pickle manufacturing unit were the 10 projects that have been established at Alanganallur, Tirupparankunram, Vadipatti, Tirumangalam, Madurai East and Usilampatti blocks, recently.

Decks have been cleared to start four more units, especially the manufacture of masala powder, jasmine concentrate extraction units, manufacture of gingelly oil and manufacture of rubber tube from natural rubber, shortly at Madurai East, Tiruparankunram, Melur and T. Kallupatti blocks on a total outlay of Rs.1.25 crores.

According to the Collector, D. Raajendiran, the NAMT is a revolutionary attempt to generate employment in rural areas and also improve the rural economy of the State. The Government extended financial assistance of up to Rs.one crore for starting any agro-based projects under the NAMT and exuded confidence that the units would facilitate overall development in and around the area of operation.

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