Land available in Mandya district for ARAI facility: M B Patil writes to Union Minister Kumaraswamy
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Minister M B Patil on Tuesday said that 100 acres of land in Mandya district is available for the proposed country’s first Construction and Infrastructure Equipment Testing Facility, estimated to cost Rs 500 crore.
Patil has written to Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H D Kumaraswamy, seeking directions for the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) to submit a detailed project proposal, his office said in a release.
In a reply on Monday to a letter from Kumaraswamy dated January 8, Patil said the District Commissioner of Mandya has confirmed that 105 acres of government land is available in Muddanaghatta and Heggadithihalli villages of Basaralu Hobli in Mandya taluk.
He added that the land is located just 500 metres from the Mandya–Nagamangala State Highway and exceeds the area originally sought for the facility.
The Minister for Large and Medium Industries urged that representatives of ARAI and officials from the Union Ministry be directed to visit Karnataka at the earliest for a joint inspection to assess the site’s suitability.
"If found suitable, the land could then be allotted for the establishment of the facility," he said.
He also stated that ARAI may directly coordinate with S Selvakumar, Principal Secretary, Department of Industries, Government of Karnataka.
Kumaraswamy is a Member of Parliament from Mandya.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
India is the place for large-scale organic production, says Commerce Secretary
Nuremberg (PTI): India is the place for large-scale organic production and the country is keen to collaborate with the EU to strengthen this ecosystem to cater to rising demands, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said here on Tuesday.
Agrawal also said that India's organic products exports have grown threefold over the last 10 years, and the government now aims to triple them again over the next five years.
"India is the place" to serve the world as a good organic food basket, he said, adding that India has 150.3 million hectares of agricultural land under cultivation.
He said that the organic ecosystem is growing very fast in the country, as today, 3 per cent of India's cultivation is organic.
In India, 4.7 million hectares of land is under organic cultivation, with 2.4 million farmers practising it, and it is only increasing by the day, he said.
The Secretary was speaking at the inauguration of Biofach 2026. About 100 exhibitors from 20 Indian states, including Assam, Meghalaya, and Kerala, are here to showcase their organic food products at the world's leading trade fair Biofach show (February 10-13).
He informed that India is emerging as a credible supplier of organic food, both within India and outside.
"I see this happening in a much faster manner. So if world needs the state for organic production, I think India is the place, and we like to work with all of you to see how we can improve the Indian organic food ecosystem to serve both the Indian rising demand within India and also the rising demand in two of our biggest markets," he said.
He called for creating credibility around organic foods. There is a need to ensure trust and credibility around the certification of these products.
India started with the national programme for organic production way back in 2001 and that was designed to adopt the international standards of organic goods.
"And now we are bringing in cooperatives in a big way," he said, adding that cooperatives can bring in and aggregate farmers to create good, viable organic ecosystem in various villages across the country.
