13th August 2023, Mumbai: At least eight beneficiaries of central government schemes in Uttarakhand have been invited as special guests for Independence-Day celebrations at Red Fort on August 15, according to officials familiar with the matter.
They are among around 1,700 beneficiaries of various central flagship programmes such as Jal Jeevan Mission, PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojna, Amrit Sarovar Yojna, etc from across the country who have been invited to listen to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to the nation from the ramparts of Red Fort.
The Initiative to invite people from all walks of life, across India, and be a part of the celebrations has been taken by the central government in line with its vision of ‘Jan Bhagidari’, it said.
During the visit, the special guests will also get an opportunity to visit the National War Memorial and the Pradhan Mantri Sangrahalaya (Prime Ministers Museum) in New Delhi.
Farmer Producer Organisation (FPO) beneficiary, Bharat Singh Rautela from Bhatwari’s Jhala village, a remote area of Uttarkashi district said that he feels proud after receiving an invitation to be a part of I-Day celebrations in New Delhi along with his wife Sunita Rautela.
Our FPO Upla ‘Taknor Krishak Utpadak Sangathan Swayatt Sahkarita
Said “Our FPO Upla ‘Taknor Krishak Utpadak Sangathan Swayatt Sahkarita’ earlier sent Chutney to PM Narendra Modi, following which he had received a letter from the PM. “Gram Pradhan of our village received a letter from PM which had mention of his FPO’s Chutney”, he said.
Will enhance the economy of scale and bargaining power of member farmers.
The concept behind Farmer Producer Organisations is that farmers, who are the producers of agricultural products, can form groups. To facilitate this process, the Small Farmers’ Agribusiness Consortium was mandated by the Department of Agriculture and Cooperation, Ministry of Agriculture to support the State Governments in the formation of Farmer Producer Organisations. The role of FPO is to act as an aggregator for member farmers, including from inputs to output, which will enhance the economy of scale and bargaining power of member farmers.
Expressed excitement over the invitation
Bhavna Sharma, a beneficiary of Jal Jeevan Mission, expressed his and excitement over the invitation to attend I-Day celebrations.
Bhavna who leads women training under Village Water Sanitation Committee said she runs awareness campaigns for safe drinking water
Dinesh Chandra Tripathi from village Ranjeetpur (Kotabagh) of district Nainital, who runs a Farmer Producer Organisation (FPO) with 521 farmers and is among the people from the state who have been invited to the I-Day celebrations, said he was excited to listen to Prime Minister Narendra Modi LIVE from the ramparts of Red Fort. He said that it was a proud moment for him and his wife Reenu Tripathi.
By ASC Priya