MGNREGA scheme workers with the yield from the barren land turned chilly farms of Thiruvarppu in Kottayam district of Kerala.
Credit: Special Arrangement
Thiruvananthapuram: The 'Mulaku gramam' (chilly village) initiative of Thiruvarppu grama panchayat of Kottayam district in Kerala not just aims to produce organic chilli powder to counter the rampant supply of adulterated chilli powder in the market, but has also set a model of making effective use of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA) for agriculture.
As the members of 16th Finance Commission are set to visit the panchayat on Monday during their three day visit to the state, the Thiruvarppu grama panchayat will aim to showcase its chilli farms along with several other projects to highlight the effectiveness of decentralisation.
Under the MGNREGA scheme, workers of the panchayat have successfully converted around 2.5 acres of barren land into chilli farms.
Located on the suburbs of Kottayam town, the panchayat started the 'chilli village' project earlier this year. Five barren plots at various parts of the panchayat were identified. While cultivation on four farms is being done by women's groups, cultivation on one of the farms is being done by a men's group.
President of the CPM ruled panchayat Ajayan K Menon told DH that in the first phase the barren lands were converted into chilli farms and the initial yield has come out very well. It is being sold out in the local market. By next year the panchayat plans to set up driers and grinders to bring out organic chill power under the Thiruvarppu brand. Reports of rampant adulteration in chilli powder has prompted the panchayat to initiate chilli cultivation.
"Around 70 MGNREGS workers are engaged in the 'chilli village' project, thereby setting a model of making effective use of the MGNREGA scheme for promoting agriculture," he said.
The panchayat will be also showcasing the effectively running material collection centre for garbage treatment that was set up with the central finance commission's grant, the Kera nursery programme that is involved in planting coconut trees in all 8,000 odd households in the panchayat, a milk products production centre and women only wellness centre.