Centre approves to provide Rs. 25 crore for setting up MedTech Zone in Visakhapatnam

Chemicals and Fertilizers Minister DV Sadananda Gowda said Rs 7.49 crore has been released so far as part of the Rs 25 crore financial assistance approved by the central government for the Andhra Pradesh Medical Technology Zone (AMTZ). In a written reply to a question posed by YSR Congress party member Vijayasai Reddy in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, the minister said the central government has given final approval to provide Rs 25 crore for setting up a MedTech Zone in Visakhapatnam under a scheme to set up a Common Facility Center for bulk industry. About 30 per cent of this amount has been released to AMTZ.

Responding to a question by Vijayasai Reddy in the Rajya Sabha, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said that the decision to radically change the scheme was taken after discussions and consultations between farmers and other stakeholders on the implementation of the Prime Minister's Fazal Insurance Scheme over the past four years.

As part of this, it has been made available as a weather-based crop insurance scheme from the 2020 kharif season. The minister said that in view of the long standing demand of farmers for crop insurance, it was left to the farmers to decide whether to join the scheme or not. He said the number of farmers insuring their crops during the 2020 kharif season was similar to the previous kharif season.