VIJAYAWADA: In another step towards striking a balance between development and environmental conservation, the State government has decided to implement a pilot project in Visakhapatnam for making useful products from waste.
Parley for the Oceans, a member of the Global Alliance for a Sustainable Planet (GASP), will partner with the government in the project. Another objective of the initiative is to achieve clean beaches by linking them with the Jagananna Swachh Sankalpam programme.
Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy met GASP chairman Erik Solheim, Parley for the Oceans founder Cyrill Gutsch, Eco-tourism investor Aditi Balbir and S4Capital director of operations Poran Malani at his camp office on Tuesday.
Stating that Andhra Pradesh has a clear mechanism for garbage collection, Jagan said the government has been looking into recycling and reusing non-biodegradable materials, adding that GASP’s experience would be utilised in this regard. Gutsch expressed concern over pollution in the oceans due to plastic waste.
Gutsch said only nine per cent of 150 million tonnes of singleuse plastic products is being recycled, making the remaining a cause of concern. He said turning plastic waste into value- added products using ecofriendly methods would pave the way for a new economy.
The dignitaries explained to the chief minister the process of preparing construction material, furniture, clothes, shoes and other various value-added products from plastic waste by Parley. Jagan said the State is contemplating to set up a university for natural farming.
He added that officials have been asked to take measures for the same as well as to introduce a graduation course in natural farming. Elaborating, the CM said the government has set up 10,777 Rythu Bharosa Kendras (RBKs) in 13,000 gram panchayats and a kiosk in each RBK besides engaging agriculture and horticulture assistants.
Stating that seeds and fertilisers are supplied through RBKs after certifying quality, Jagan said every crop is recorded online, e-cropped and geo-tagged so that the subsidies of the government reached the beneficiary easily and compensation for crop loss can be provided without a hassle.
Jagan said RBKs would become centre for natural farming in future and emphasised the need for strengthening RBKs technically and encouraging custom hiring centres to take up natural farming by partnering with farmers.
"Natural farming methods should not be confined to labs. They should be made available to farmers and encouraged in every village across the State," Jagan stressed, adding that there is a need to fix remunerative price for naturally farming products.
Asserting that naturally grown products should be certified, Jagan said the difference of price for regular products and natural products should be clearly visible. Chief Secretary Sameer Sharma, Special Chief Secretary (to CM) K S Jawahar Reddy, Municipal Administration and Urban Development Special Chief Secretary Y Srilakshmi were present.
Further, the representatives of GASP briefed Jagan on ecotourism projects in Uttarakhand and observed that there is scope for development of ecotourism projects in Araku, Ananthagiri and Rampachodavaram. The CM instructed officials to prepare plans and directed them to ensure that the locals benefitted from such initiatives.
Andhra Pradesh mulls setting up university for natural farming
Andhra Pradesh is contemplating to set up a university for natural farming, Jagan said, adding officials have been asked to take measures for the same as well as to introduce a graduation course in natural farming. He added RBKs would become centre for natural farming in the future