Lucknow, May 15 (UNI) In a step towards making Uttar Pradesh self-sufficient in seed production, the state government on Thursday approved a proposal to set up five state-of-the-art seed parks across the state.
To be developed in phases across five agro-climatic zones, these parks will be named after former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh as a tribute to his contributions to Indian agriculture.
The first seed park will come up on 130.63 acres of land at the State Agricultural Area in Attari, Lucknow district, with an estimated investment of Rs 266.70 crore. Equipped with cutting-edge facilities for seed production, processing, storage, speed breeding and hybrid research, these parks are set to revolutionise the seed sector in UP.
This proposal and nine others were approved by the cabinet meeting which was chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath at Lok Bhawan.
Giving details of the proposal Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi said that private investment in these parks will be incentivised through various concessions.
He said that land will be leased to seed businesses for 30 years, extendable up to 90 years. "The project is expected to generate direct employment for approximately 6,000 people and indirect employment for another 15,000. Besides, around 40,000 seed-producing farmers will be directly linked with the parks," he said.
Shahi said that UP, the largest agricultural state with 162 lakh hectares of cultivable land, requires approximately 139.43 lakh quintals of seed annually. "Currently, the state depends on other states to meet this demand. The seed parks will eliminate this dependency and ensure the availability of high-quality seeds at affordable rates locally," he said.
He said that the Improved Seed Replacement Rate (SRR) will boost crop productivity and significantly enhance farmers' income. "Moreover, UP will be positioned to export seeds to other states, establishing itself as a hub of quality seed production," he said.
To enhance rural amenities for hosting community events and celebrations, the Cabinet has approved the construction of marriage and event halls, 'Panchayat Utsav Bhawan', in each rural assembly constituency. In the first phase, 71 such halls will be constructed with a total allocation of Rs 100 crore.
Each Utsav Bhawan will be built at an estimated cost of Rs 1.41 crore, with 60 percent of the funding contributed by donors and the remaining 40 percent provided by the state under the UP Matri Bhumi Yojana. A seven-member committee headed by the District Magistrate will identify the land for these halls.
In a move benefiting contractual employees of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, the Yogi government has approved a proposal to revise their remuneration. This decision impacts technical and non-technical staff working on key positions such as pilot, co-pilot, aviation engineer, quality manager, additional director (technical), operations manager and flight safety chief.
Finance Minister Suresh Khanna said that the revised pay scales address long-pending demands, especially after the implementation of the 7th Pay Commission, from which these employees were excluded. The pilot salary slab has been increased from Rs 2.5–7 lakh to Rs 5–10 lakh, while the co-pilot slab has been revised from Rs 1.25–6 lakh to Rs 3–7 lakh. Current pilot salaries will also see a 10 percent hike. This revision will entail an additional expenditure of Rs 5.27 crore for the state exchequer.
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