The “Aashirwad Ka Diya” programme was organised at Niyojan Bhawan, District Collector’s Office, Thane, as part of the Seva Sankalp Abhiyan–Seva Diwas initiative of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries. The programme brought together farmers, FPO members, women beneficiaries, entrepreneurs, food-processing units and departmental representatives.

The programme was attended by Hon’ble Union Minister for Food Processing Industries Shri Chirag Paswan, Hon’ble Member of Parliament Shri Naresh Maske, Thane Deputy Mayor Shri Krushna Patil, along with Shri Preet Pal Singh, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Food Processing Industries; Shri Krishna Panchal, Collector, Thane; Shri Ranjit Yadav, Chief Executive Officer, Zilla Parishad, Thane; Shri Remandeep Chowdhary, Director; Director, Agriculture Processing and Planning; District Superintendent of Agriculture, Thane; and senior departmental officials.

A key highlight was the direct interaction of Shri Chirag Paswan with beneficiaries of various Ministry initiatives, including PMFME, PMKSY and PLI. The Minister listened to their experiences and enquired about the impact of government support on their businesses and livelihoods, including the employment opportunities generated through their projects.

 

Food processing: a major opportunity

 

The programme also highlighted the immense potential of the food-processing sector. While India once faced limitations in food production, the country today has a strong and diverse agricultural production base, creating significant scope for processing, preservation and value addition.

 

The need of the hour is therefore to give greater impetus to food processing and build a strong and integrated value chain that connects farmers, FPOs, entrepreneurs, processors, industry and markets.

 

The emerging participation of entrepreneurs from both rural and urban India reflects this changing landscape. Entrepreneurs from different backgrounds are increasingly coming forward to establish food-processing enterprises and build products that represent the spirit of Brand Bharat.

‘Aashirwad Ka Diya’ – a symbol of hope

 

The lighting of the “Aashirwad Ka Diya” was the central feature of the programme. The diya symbolised hope, opportunity, confidence and self-reliance in the lives of beneficiaries.

It represented the collective strength of the food-processing ecosystem—farmers producing quality raw material, FPOs bringing collective strength, women converting skills into enterprise, entrepreneurs undertaking processing and value addition, and industry providing technology, scale and market opportunities.

Beneficiaries shared their experiences and explained how government initiatives had helped them strengthen their enterprises, create employment and move towards greater economic self-reliance.

Maharashtra’s contribution acknowledged

 

Maharashtra has consistently played an important role in the implementation of initiatives of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries and in strengthening the participation of farmers, FPOs, women and entrepreneurs in the sector.

Shri Chirag Paswan expressed his pleasure at interacting with beneficiaries from Maharashtra and appreciated the opportunity to work with the state’s farmers, entrepreneurs and other stakeholders.

The programme reinforced the message of Seva Sankalp Abhiyan–Seva Diwas—that the true purpose of public service is realised when opportunities created through government initiatives reach people and translate into enterprise, employment, value addition and better livelihoods.

The “Aashirwad Ka Diya” thus became a symbol of a larger vision: to transform India’s agricultural strength into greater value, stronger enterprises and new opportunities, while carrying the light of entrepreneurship and self-reliance to more families across the country.

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CMC – Media

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