Awareness programmes help govt schemes reach the people: Karnataka MLA Yashpal Suvarna

UDUPI: The Central and State Governments have implemented several schemes for the development of farmers, who are the backbone of the country. Awareness programmes are beneficial in delivering information about schemes to the people, said MLA Yashpal Suvarna.He was speaking after inaugurating an awareness programme on the Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME), organised jointly by the Udupi District Administration and Zilla Panchayat at the Dr V.S. Acharya Hall, Rajathadri, Manipal on Tuesday.The MLA said that officials must ensure that govt schemes reach the doorsteps of farmers so they can avail themselves of maximum benefits.

Since people often lack sufficient information about Central and State schemes, awareness programmes like these help bridge the gap. He urged departmental officers to coordinate with bank officials and provide information in the local language to farmers visiting nationalised banks for financial assistance, thereby ensuring that more farmers benefit from the schemes.He further stressed that today’s youth should not depend solely on govt jobs but should also engage in agriculture.

Farmers too, he said, should go beyond cultivation and venture into entrepreneurship. The PMFME was designed with this aim, and he expressed hope that farmers across the district would make use of it.Agriculture Department Deputy Director Chandrashekar Naik said the scheme is an ambitious initiative of both the Central and State Governments. Under the scheme, a 50% grant or up to a maximum of Rs 15 lakh is provided, with Rs 6 lakh support from the Centre and Rs 9 lakh from the State.

So far, loans were sanctioned to over 6,500 entrepreneurs in the State, and in the 2025-26 Budget, a grant of Rs 206 crore was announced for 5,000 micro food processing enterprises.In Udupi district, 374 entrepreneurs have already received financial assistance, and 43 beneficiaries are currently registered under the scheme. He urged the public engaged in food processing to take advantage of the initiative.Resource persons Suraj Shetty, Venkatesh Naik, Rajesh D.P.,

Roopashree, and Dr Fazal provided detailed information about the scheme.Udupi City Municipal Council President Prabhakar Poojary, Urban Development Authority President Dinakar Heruru, Horticulture Department Deputy Director Raju, Fisheries Department Deputy Director Kumaraswamy, Animal Husbandry Department Deputy Director Dr M.C. Reddappa, Lead Bank’s Suman, KAPPEC’s Aravind, and officials from various departments were present.