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Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
In alliance with Centre, not State; raising concerns is my responsibility: Chirag Paswan
Chirag Paswan outlines his party's strategy for the upcoming Bihar assembly elections. He emphasizes the NDA's strength and their aim to secure over 225 seats. Paswan highlights his role in addressing Bihar's law and order issues. He also speaks about his 'Bihar First, Bihari First' roadmap. Paswan mentions the establishment of a NIFTEM institute in Hajipur. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads , in an interaction with ET, spoke about the upcoming Bihar assembly election, the role of his party, and leadership dynamics in the state. Edited Excerpts:In 2020, I wasn't part of the alliance because I wasn't given space within it. That was also when my father was unwell. The alliance didn't have faith that I could lead the party as my father did. Gradually, I was sidelined. During seat sharing, I was offered the fewest seats. Now, in 2025, the alliance has reposed faith in me. Our party delivered a 100% result in the Lok Sabha elections despite many ups and downs. Today, I have a seat at the table, contributing ideas and suggestions on government policy. The NDA is stronger than ever, and we are aiming for 225+ an ally, it's my responsibility to highlight issues. That said, I'm not part of the ruling alliance in the state, unlike at the Centre. I have no role in shaping state policies, so this is my only way to voice concerns. I'm not being rebellious-these are genuine issues. I believe in the CM who once pulled Bihar out of the jungle raj, and I still believe only he can do it has progressed, and I credit CM Nitish Kumar for that. But much more remains to be done. I've worked day and night on the 'Bihar First, Bihari First' roadmap. It includes solutions to core problems-like interlinking rivers, setting up education hubs, and promoting agriculture-based industries.I'm happy that the third NIFTEM institute in the country is coming to Hajipur, Bihar, announced in the last Union Budget. It will benefit food processing immensely. Young people are showing interest in this sector. Our ministry also supports micro-enterprises through a handholding scheme-Bihar has performed exceptionally well in also minimized post-harvest losses. The Cabinet recently approved ₹500 crore for 50 new irradiation units across the country. This will significantly improve farmers' ability to preserve perishable food.I don't believe so. At some point, the process had to begin. If it hadn't, people would have questioned why it wasn't done before elections in West Bengal or Assam. SIR is under the jurisdiction of a constitutional body-the Election Commission. If the opposition wants a debate, who will respond? The EC or a ministry? Rahul Gandhi says they lost Maharashtra due to irregularities in the voter list but forgets they won Jharkhand under the same EC.I will play the role of 'salt' in the alliance-without salt, no dish has taste. Some people try to undermine my 2020 performance when I contested alone. But my party can provide a 10,000-15,000 vote push on every crucial discussions haven't happened yet, so quoting a number would be unfair. But it will be resolved amicably. As for me-yes, I want to contest, and the party will take a decision after assessing all politics, never say never. But for now, I have no reason to explore alternative no vacancy for CM. NDA is united behind Nitish Kumar for both election and post-election leadership. But everyone should be ambitious-I believe in manifestation. So why not?
Time of India
19-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Chirag to entrepreneurs: Invest in Bihar, assure you best support
Patna: Union food processing industries dept minister Chirag Paswan on Monday urged the national and international entrepreneurs to invest in Bihar and assured them best of facilities with good air, road and rail connectivity, including a dry port at Bihta. He urged them to explore large-scale procurement of rice, spices, makhana, and fruits from the state. Addressing the 70 buyers representing 20 countries, including six global retail chains from Germany, Japan and the UAE, alongside 50 domestic and 20 institutional buyers at the inaugural session of the two-day International Buyer Seller Meet (IBSM) in Patna, Chirag said Bihar is to play an important role in PM Narendra Modi's vision of 'Viksit Bharat by 2047' and India becoming a global food basket. Significantly, 12 companies participating in the meet announced procurement commitments for rice, pulses, spices, fruits, vegetables, and makhana from Bihar. Chirag also highlighted the fact that Bihar benefited the most from Pradhan Mantri formalisation of micro food processing enterprises (PMFME). "In FY 2024-25, my ministry has sanctioned a record 10,270 loans worth Rs 624.42 crore under the PMFME scheme to micro food processing units in Bihar, which is the highest for any state in the country," he said. "The recently announced NIFTEM in Bihar will carry forward our legacy to become a modern-day centre of excellence," he said. He also launched a report titled 'Strategies to boost India's makhana exports'. Addressing the meet, deputy CM Vijay Kumar Sinha said the state govt, through its agriculture map, was trying to make the state farmers not only producers, but also entrepreneurs. State's industries minister Nitish Mishra said, "Bihar has the potential to become the growth engine of East India." He mentioned the mega food park at Muzaffarpur and encouraged investors to leverage Bihar's industrial infrastructure as the govt is ready to provide proactive allotment of land within seven days through the single window clearance system. Mihir Kumar Singh, additional chief secretary (state industries dept), and Minhaj Alam, additional secretary, MoFPI, also stressed upon the need to increase the level of food processing in the state. Abhishek Dev, chairman of APEDA, emphasised that initiatives such as the launch of 'Tracenet 2.0' in 2025 for traceability of organic and GI-tagged products would further enhance credibility and export readiness of Indian produce.
Time of India
25-04-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Govt says food processing schemes reduced post-harvest losses in last 5 yrs
The government is working to establish an ecosystem to boost food processing through various schemes and by encouraging startups, though Paswan noted that "it is still not enough as potential is huge." The government is actively promoting food processing to cut post-harvest losses and boost farmers' income, according to Food Processing Industries Minister Chirag Paswan at the SUFALAM event. He emphasized the sector's crucial role in India becoming a developed nation by 2047 and its potential to become a global food basket. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads New Delhi: The government on Friday said that various schemes to promote food processing have helped reduce post-harvest losses in fruits and vegetables over the last five years while emphasising the need to further develop the sector to boost farmers' income and meet growing food demand. Food Processing Industries Minister Chirag Paswan , speaking at the SUFALAM event organised by NIFTEM-Kundli in Haryana, said the food processing sector has a crucial role in achieving India's goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047."So far, we have not been able to tap and explore the sector fully. In terms of exports and processing, we are nowhere at present although there is endless scope to develop further," Paswan minister added that India could emerge as a "global food basket" given the sector's huge government is working to establish an ecosystem to boost food processing through various schemes and by encouraging startups, though Paswan noted that "it is still not enough as potential is huge."Food Processing Industries Secretary Subrata Gupta said the ministry was "relentlessly pursuing projects" to support the creation of cold chains and other food processing infrastructure to reduce food wastage "In fact, over the last five years, there has been a decline of food wastage because of lack of processing," he highlighted the challenge of feeding a growing global population, expected to increase by 2 billion from the current 8 billion. He noted that 77 per cent of agricultural land is used to grow food for animals, which provides only 18 per cent of calories and 37 per cent of proteins consumed by secretary emphasised the need for alternative protein sources, mentioning that NIFTEM has been sponsoring research in frontier areas of processing, including cultured meat and plant-based meat technologies.
