Pawar stops food park allotment process

Agriculture and food processing minister Sharad Pawar has ordered a stay on allottment of food parks to states. The department secretary will now work on a new mechanism whereby a committee headed by a retired judge would approve the allotment.

"After reading the Supreme Court order (on the 2G case) in the newspapers, I told the secretary to immediately stop the allotment process. It can be done through a committee headed by a retired judge," Pawar told Business Standard.

The minister said he would take a cautious approach while taking any decision. "There are two more years to go for the next general elections. Let me function in my capacity as minister without having any blot," he said.

Pawar admitted the decision-making process may be delayed due to the cautious approach, but that was inevitable in the wake of the apex court's order.

The ministry has begun work on the 30 mega food park projects. Fifteen of them have been allotted to private promoters and expressions of interest have been invited for the allotment of the remaining parks. The ministry would be funding each of these projects worth Rs 50 crore.

The project, launched by Pawar's predecessor Subodh Kant Sahai, aims at accelerating the growth of food processing industry in the country through facilitating the establishment of strong food-processing infrastructures backed by an efficient supply chain.