Centre approves 21 cold chain, 8 linkage projects

The Union government has approved 21 cold chain infrastructure projects and eight projects worth Rs.620 mn under the backward and forward linkages (BFL) scheme. The Inter-Ministerial Approval Committee (IMAC) has okayed the projects, leveraging investments worth Rs.4.43 bn, supported by a grant of Rs.1.89 bn, under the Scheme for Integrated Cold Chain and Value Addition. The 21 projects are expected to create employment for nearly 12,600 people and benefit 200,592 farmers. The approved projects are across the states of Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Nagaland, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. The scheme aims to provide remunerative prices to farmers and to reduce post-harvest losses of horticultural and non-horticultural produce.