(a) the number of the Mega Food Parks which have been established by the Government since 2014;
(b) the details of the Mega Food Parks which have been established, State-wise;
(c) whether there is any plan to establish a new Mega Food Park in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, if not, the reasons therefor; and
(d) whether any criteria have been set for establishment of Mega Food Parks and if so, the details thereof?
THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR FOOD PROCESSING INDUSTRIES
(SHRI RAMESWAR TELI)
(a) & (b): Ministry of Food Processing Industries does not establish Mega Food Parks in the country on its own. However, Ministry of Food Processing Industries has been implementing Mega Food Park Scheme (MFPs) to create modern infrastructure for the food processing. As per the scheme guidelines, the responsibility of execution, ownership and management of the Mega Food Park(MFP) would vest with a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) registered under the Companies Act. However, State Government/ State Government entities/Cooperatives applying for the project under the scheme will not be required to form a separate SPV. Presently, Ministry has accorded final approval to 38 Mega Food Park Projects and in-principle approval to 2 Mega Food Park projects which are under various stages of implementation. Out of these, Ministry has accorded final approval to 27 Mega Food Park Projects and in-principle approval to 2 Mega Food Park projects since 2014. Presently, a total of 17 Mega Food Park projects have been made operational and out of these, since 2014, Fifteen Mega Food Park projects at Tumkur (Karnataka), Fazilka (Punjab), Nalbari (Assam), Khargone (Madhya Pradesh), Murshidabad (West Bengal), Rayagada (Odisha), Satara (Maharashtra), Ajmer (Rajasthan), Udham Singh Nagar (Uttarakhand), Surat(Gujarat), Aurangabad(Maharashtra), Una(HP), West Godavari(Andhra Pradesh), West Tripura(Tripura) and Nizamabad(Telangana) have been made operational . State wise details of 40 Mega Food Park Projects approved under the Mega Food Park Scheme in the country including 02 Mega Food Park projects in the State of Uttar Pradesh along with their status of implementation are at Annexure-I.
(c) & (d): The proposals under Mega Food Park Scheme for setting up of Mega Food Parks in the country are invited through Expression of Interest (EOI) from time to time. Selection of suitable proposals for these projects is done as per the Scheme guidelines, based on the merit, through a three tier stringent appraisal process as per the prefixed criteria. At present, Ministry has not floated any EoI for submission of proposals under the Scheme. As on date, there is no proposal under consideration to establish any new Mega Food Parks in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh under the Mega Food Park Scheme of the Ministry. The criteria for establishment of Mega Food Parks is detailed in the scheme guidelines.The salient features including major eligibility criteria of the scheme guidelines of Mega Food Park are at Annexure-II.
*****