Meet a Poor 'Pan wala' who earned a Ministerial rank in Modi-II government with his dedication and hard work.

The 20-year long journey of a poor 'Pan shopkeeper' who as a child used to sell mountain herbs to meet his educational expenses, and later became a Minister in Modi-II cabinet without any Godfather in Lutyens' Delhi.

BY Vijay Thakur, Special Representative, The Statesman, vijaythakurx@gmail.com

From a small “pan shopkeeper” to the Minister of state in the Modi-II government, the life of Minister of State for Food Processing Rameshwar Teli taken several twists turns during the past four decades….he never thought that one day he would a Minister at the centre. As a teenager, he used to sell yam and fern to earn bread for his family. He joined college but could not complete his higher education and discontinued it due to fiscal stress.

In 1999 he joined BJP and became MLA from Dibrugarh assembly segment in 2001. Before joining the BJP, Teli was a local leader of All Assam Tea Tribe Students’ Association (AATTSA). In 2014 he was elected MP from Dibrugarh defeating Congress MP Pawan Singh Ghatowar. And this time he defeated the same candidate by nearly four lakh votes – the highest margin of victory in Northeast in 2019.

Rameshwar Teli had 92 % attendance in the 16^th Lok Sabha and participated in 72 debates during 16^th Lok Sabha. Apparently impressed with his humble background and dedication in the Parliament, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inducted him in his Modi-II cabinet. He spoke to Vijay Thakur, the Special Representative, Statesman, on his roadmap to boost up food processing industry in North-Eastern region. Excerpts:

Question and Answer:

Question:

The food processing industry is growing very fast, how you intend to promote Food Processing Industry. ?

Answer:

Food processing is one industry which has been promoted to its fullest in India. It has great scope in India and is highly underutilized. Look at developed countries, there food processing is part of their life right from drinking tea to eating food. One cannot imagine life there without processed food in one form or the other.

Modi government has realized its importance and given its maximum support to boost it. Presently we are giving 50 % subsidy in the plain area to anyone setting up food processing industry and in hilly terrain, the subsidy amount is 75 %. There can be no better incentive than this to entrepreneurs who are keen to set up this industry. Hope with our continuous efforts we would be able to bring a revolutionary change in the coming years.

 

Question:

You are giving so much subsidy to the industry. Than why industrialists are not coming forward to set up industry.

Answer:

As I said the food processing sector is little known to people in states. In some states, the Food Processing Sector hardly exists. Like I come from Assam, there is no separate Food Processing Ministry or Department. And in some cases, state government officials are still confused, whether Food Processing sector should come in Agriculture sector or in the Industrial sector. Surprisingly, a few big states are still confused about whether to put it in the Industry Department or Agriculture Department. We need to clear the existing ambiguity to the state government officials and educate them on the emerging business opportunities in this sector. Big states should learn a lesson from a small state like Meghalaya, where there is a dedicated department for food processing. Secondly, industrialists or young entrepreneurs should be contacted directly to encourage them to venture into this sector.

Question:

North-Eastern India is one area where food processing has a huge scope, but unfortunately, this is hardly explored by people outside. What government is doing to attract people in the North East?

Answer:

In the North East area, we have exotic Himalayan fruits, medicinal plants and other crops which are high in demand world over. But unfortunately, we are unable to supply it to other parts of the country despite its high demand. Ever since new BJP government came in power in Assam, we started supplying our exotic Himalayan fruits to various countries directly including Hongkong, Malasia, Vietnam, Thailand and Singapore. Assam government is supporting it fully and arranging it to supply it in cargo mode.

I tell you an interesting fact, we supply our fruits, and other crops to Vietnam… they grade it….process it…and then export it to other parts of India. Imagine if they can do it in Vietnam why cannot we. They are selling our exotic breeds in their brand name.

Another example I give you is of ginger. In Assam, ginger sometimes is as cheap as Rs 2 a KG…. there have been instances when farmers sold it for fifty paise a Kg or asked traders to take it for free..Here the ginger price is very high. If we set up a ginger processing plant in Assam.. not only the industrialist would earn a lot, but the farmers would also get a better price. The list of our exotic crops is long and unique…Our Ministry has prepared a roadmap to boost up Food Processing Sector in Himalayan states and people would soon its results.

Question:

What else is the reason why Industrialists are not coming to North East areas despite the fact that the government is giving them more than 75 % subsidy?

Answer:

One of the reasons why industrialists are not venturing into North East is people’s mindset. In their mind, the image of the North East area is that it is still infested with the insurgency. Secondly, they think the infrastructure is very poor there. But they do not know infrastructure has developed a lot in the area. Road connectivity, air connectivity and rail connectivity have improved. And it would improve further in near future. Their mindset need to change. We will approach industrialists outside NE region, apprise them of the peaceful investment-friendly atmosphere in the region.

Question:

Is approaching industrialists from outside is the only solution to boost the food processing industry?

Answer:

No this is only one way. We would encourage young entrepreneurs from the North East region to come forward. We will also attract educated unemployed youth. Give them proper training in this field. The Ministry is planning a pilot project in four states, where young entrepreneurs would be invited to set up a small scale industry—where capital investment is less and employment generation is more. State governments and experts from the field would provide them with maximum help in getting rid of the teething problems. Experts would also help them in generating market for their product. If Vietnam can airlift raw fruits from here and market it in the international market, why cannot we?

The aim of the Ministry is to increase farmer’s income through value addition and generate employment for local unemployed youths.

Ends.