Yogi's ODOP scheme to be adopted across India

Lucknow, Aug 28 (IANS) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's flagship scheme 'One District-One Product' (ODOP) will now be adopted across the country.

The ODOP project recognises speciality products and handicraft of various districts and implements a programme of training, at the skilling and marketing level to uplift the art and provide them with a market, at both national and international levels.

According to official sources, Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, will soon hold a video conference with industries ministers of all states to chalk out a plan for the pan-India implementation of the ODOP scheme. Goyal, in a letter to all industries ministers, has acknowledged the potential of the programme to uplift rural India.

"To recognise the potential of rural India and align it with the clarion call of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make 'Atma Nirbhar Bharat', the ministry of commerce and industry is in the process of putting in place an institutional mechanism to propagate ODOP as a movement across the country, with the help of all state governments and union territories," he said in his letter.

He said, the ministry intends to drive this project on a mission mode with specific targets to be achieved by 2022. It will be crucial to uplift rural economy, he said.

States and Union Territories (UT) will be required to identify and map district-wise unique products, identify inputs on branding, logistics, packaging and branding to standardise the product, provide training and skilling and establish market linkages.

Meanwhile, to promote 'one district-one product' (ODOP) scheme on an international platform and give them a wider appeal, the UP MSME department will soon be signing MoUs with National Institute of Fashion Technology, Indian Institute of Packaging and SIDBI.

These pacts will help to make their design and packaging more attractive and to address the issue of working capital for artisans and industrialists. MSME minister Sidharth Nath Singh said that as per directions of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, it has been decided to help manufacturers of ODOP products widen their market.

He said that the MoUs would not just remove difficulties of working capital being faced by MSMEs in the current Covid-19 slowdown but also make ODOP products more attractive at a global level. "NIFT would provide design facility to textile, leather and carpet industries. It will also hold training workshops for them. NIFT will be developing a design bank for ODOP products in which manufacturers will be helped with material, fabrics, colour and quality in accordance with demands of US, European and other international markets which will give them the facility of brand identity and branding," Singh said.

He added that the Indian Institute of Packaging (IIP) will develop a new design for packing for ODOP products. The ODOP programme is also being looked at as a vehicle for generating employment for the migrant workers who returned to UP during the Covid-19 lockdown.

Additional chief secretary, MSME, Navneet Sehgal said, "We are providing training under a particular trade. For instance, if someone wants to come to Bhadohi, the centre of carpet manufacturing in UP, we can train them in the skill of carpet-making. If they want to set up their own unit, we will help them get funding in the form of loans and then, if some of them want to come together, we can even help set up a common facility centre."