The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) launched the ‘Integrated Dairy Development Project in Sindhupatti Watershed under its Umbrella Programme on Natural resources Management (UPNRM) in Madurai District, recently.
UPNRM is a special window operated by Nabard with micro finance and grant components aimed at giving fillip to eco-friendly income generation activities, especially in Nabard’s Watershed project areas.
R Amalorpavanathan, Deputy Managing Director, Nabard, launching the programme at Udayanpatti village in Chellampatti Block in the district, said that in a scenario where monsoon is playing truant, farmers need to look to multiple sources of income with a basket of diversified activities. He exhorted the farmers to scale up to the next level with the help of integrated dairy-related activities envisaged under one umbrella and bestow attention on the precious water bodies without waiting for the government machinery to take up conservation works. He also referred to some of the projects already under implementation in Madurai under UPNRM such as Sustainable livelihood for Broom stick makers in Kallikudi block, improving the livelihood of Thatch makers in Sekkipatti and Eco friendly agriculture in Sirumalai Hills.
The integrated dairy development project will be implemented in 7 Watershed villages covering 156 beneficiaries through a Project Facilitating Agency, Association for Rural Development, Madurai, through whom Nabard shall finance ₹ 82 lakh.