BENGALURU: The State Government seems to have given some thought for food and it believes that growing your dietary needs in your own backyard can be rewarding. All people have to do is plant it, grow it, eat it. The government has come up with the Nutrition Garden campaign, where it will pay money to individual families in villages to grow vegetables and fruits in their backyard to get nutritious food and generate additional income.
The government will give Rs 2,600 per family for one time. The Department of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) will target more than 60,000 rural families across the state under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) scheme. Till now, under the scheme, the department had been taking up works like lakes, roads and construction of sheds for cattle.
The department will give seedlings of perennial plants like drumsticks, papaya, curry leaves, lemon, fruits like chikku, mango, jackfruit, guava and pomegranate. This apart, depending on the space, people can also grow vegetables of their choice. There are 6,027 Gram Panchayats in Karnataka and 10 families per panchayat have been chosen. The campaign, which started a few days back, is expected to complete the target by November-end.
Campaign meant to help poor families
Speaking to The New Indian Express, L K Ateeq, Principal Secretary, RDPR, said the purpose is to give benefit to those poor families who may not go out to work in the fields. “The Nutrition Garden campaign is an attempt to encourage people in villages to take nutritious food. This apart, they can sell their surplus produce at the nearest market which will generate additional revenue. In Jharkand, a similar initiative is taken up, which targets the village self-help groups. But, in Karnataka, the government will help families,’’ added Ateeq.
No. of families to benefit
Bagalkot (1,980), Belagavi (5,060), Dharwad (1,440), Haveri (2,240), U-K(2,310), Shivamogga (2,710), Bengaluru Rural (1,050), Ramanagara (1,270), Kolar (1,560), Bengaluru Urban (960), Tumakuru (3,310), Ballari (2,370), Kalburgi (2,640), Dakshina Kannada(2,300), Hassan (2,670), Kodagu(1,040), Mandya (2,340), Mysuru (2,660)