Wardha institute to develop Kalamb as 'agrindus' hub

Yavatmal: Wardha-based Mahatma Gandhi Institute for Rural Industrialisation (MGIRI), headed by Dr. T. Karunakaran, former vice chairman of National Council of Rural Institutes of Hyderabad, and his scholar team has resolved to adopt Kalamb tehsil in Yavatmal district to develop it as an agrindus (Agriculture and Industries) hub soon with an ultimate goal of thwarting the ongoing spate in farmers’ suicide.
Yavatmal has emerged as the suicide capital despite having all the potential for ensuring a financially sound farming community destined to lead a dignified life, said Dr Karunakaran.
“Yavatmal has excellent water resource and cultivable land. Unfortunately, this water resource has not tapped by the government due to lack of political will or deliberate apathy on part of officers entrusted with irrigation projects,” a much concerned Dr Karunakaran added.
Elaborating on his plan, Dr Karunakaran informed that his institute in Wardha had adopted the tehsil and as a first step. 20 youths from the deceased farmers’ families would be selected. They would be trained at Wardha in scientific agriculture and industries with due emphasis on value addition principle.
Each student will be provided with free boarding and lodging and their educational expenses amounting to 75,000/- each would be borne by Chennai-based ‘Polaris Foundation’. Every student pair would be given two acre of land wherein they would be guided to cultivate crops as per their choice. The profit from their agricultural pursuit would be channelized to their respective families.
After a year’s training at the institute, the participants would be given a diploma certificate, Karunakaran explained adding that these trained farmers would go back to their respective villages and remain as a role model for their counterparts in the villages.
Simultaneously, we have proposed to train the sarpanchs and three more persons from 61 Gram Panchayats in Kalamb tehsil.
Karunakaran wondered as to why there is no cotton-based industry in the region despite Yavatmal being the main cotton producing centre in the entire state.
“Cotton ginning and pressing factories are negligible as compared to the production here,” he said. Farmers must be encouraged to make “Pooni” (cotton rope).