GUNTUR: Among 14 districts, Mangalagiri cotton and fisheries have been selected for the One District, One Product (ODOP) Award from the erstwhile Guntur district.
According to official reports, thousands of nominations were received from over 540 districts across the country, of which only 64 districts have been selected. As many as 14 districts from the State have been selected among which Guntur and Bapatla are present. In this regard, a central team from Travel Advisory Invest India visited Mangalagiri cotton handloom sheds and fish hatcheries in Bapatla on October 10 and 11 respectively.
On this occasion, Collector Venu Gopal Reddy explained that with an initiative To give a major boost to the weavers of the famous Mangalagiri cotton, six handloom sheds have been set up with Rs 3.60 crore. A total of Rs 1.10 crore was allotted by the Central government under the National Handloom Development Project, and Mangalagiri-Tadepalli Municipal Corporation has allotted Rs 2.50 crore to renovate the sheds as part of the Comprehensive Handloom Cluster Development scheme.
“Over 146 handlooms were set up in the sheds. All basic amenities are provided at these sheds to facilitate the weavers. The weavers, who have been deprived of all State and Central government subsidies and schemes, despite being in the sector for several years, will benefit from this new facility,” he added.
Travel Advisory Invest Indian team member Aradhana Sharma interacted with the weavers inspected the quality of the clothes and lauded the handcraft of the workers. Following this, she along with Collector Ranjith Bhasha visited shrimp hatcheries which are being maintained through the latest bioplant technology in Pandurangapuram, a marine processing plant in Vedullapalli, and fish Andhra kiosk shops maintenance and sales. The officials also informed that post verification, the selection committee will recommend the final set of awardees. The recommended awardees will be approved by the Minister for Commerce and Industry tentatively in the month of December.
The Centre has started an initiative to promote one product in every district across the country and introduced the ODOP scheme. It was aimed at fostering balanced regional development across all districts in the country. The aim is to select, brand and promote at least one product in every district to enable holistic socio-economic growth.
Accordingly, over 38 products were identified from 26 districts in Andhra Pradesh from various sectors, including agriculture, textiles, food processing, and handicrafts. Taking it a step forward, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has instituted the ODOP Awards to recognise the outstanding work done by states, districts, and Indian missions abroad in promoting economic development and realising the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat.
