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Tripura launches unique immunity-boosting program for urban poor
Agartala/UNI: In a bid to support pineapple and lemon growers of Tripura amid Covid-19 crisis, the state government has launched an innovative scheme to boost the immunity of the urban poor by providing them ready-to-eat lemon juice and pineapple slices at ward level, once a week, for the next one month.
The council of ministers in a meeting last night decided to provide vitamin-C rich fruits free of cost to the urban poor to boost their immunity levels to fight Covid-19 and other other diseases.
In the last two years, the production of pineapple and lemon surged owing to the support provided by the BJP-IPFT government to the growers. Development of marketing chain with Europe and Middle East countries, besides metro cities of India, assured good returns to the farmers. But, Covid pandemic dampened the prospects of the growers this year.
“Only a few consignments of pineapple were exported to Middle East and Mumbai this time and demand in the domestic market has also plummeted due to the lockdown situation and huge production. Since the farmers did not get minimum price for their produce– the next year, cultivation would be affected. Fears of breakdown in rural economy prompted the government to come up with this innovative program,” observed a senior official of the state horticulture department.
Under the programme, the urban development department will spend over Rs 1 crore, which will directly go to the producers and a small percentage of the amount will go to the self-help groups involved in small economic activities in urban areas, he stated.
The SHGs have been selected for each municipal corporation and other urban bodies along with some district and sub-divisional headquarters, which will be open for one day in a week in each of the ward and distribute lemon juice and pineapple slices in required amounts among the people from a prominent place for the entire July.
The government has provided the list of producers for each of the SHGs to buy 200 pineapples and 400 lemons per ward and their distribution in selected areas of the wards.
The prices have been fixed by the government and people will be given lemon juice and pineapple slices free of cost so that they can derive Vitamin-C and boost their immunity.
The government will reimburse the cost along with their remuneration every week to the SHGs.
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