TSPL supports Punjab’s farmers with advanced machinery and knowledge enhancement sessions
Kanwar Inder Singh/ royalpatiala.in/ Patiala
Talwandi Sabo Power Limited (TSPL), the largest thermal power plant in Punjab, has supported farmers with multi-crop bed planters and knowledge enhancement sessions under its agriculture-based sustainable livelihood project, Navi Disha. Navi Disha is the company’s flagship CSR project, initiated in 2017, with an outreach of over 1100 farmers from 26 villages of Mansa and Bhatinda districts of Punjab.
Handed over last week, the multi-crop planter can help farmers optimize seeds and fertilizer usage by 25-30% and lower irrigation requirement by 30-35%. Additionally, the planting discs for different crops can be changed without dismantling the seed hopper’s main shaft, improving yield by 5-10%. Over the past month, TSPL has also organized several knowledge enhancement camps and awareness sessions for over 250 farmers on various topics like insect identification, understanding and calculating Economic Threshold Level (ETL), sustainable agriculture best practices promoted by Agriculture University, as well as expert consultations on optimal use of fertilizers.
Speaking about TSPL’s role in elevating rural agrarian economy in Mansa and Bhatinda, Vikas Sharma, CEO & WTD – TSPL, said, “Farmers are the backbone of our economy. If sufficiently enabled with technology, knowhow and expertise, the farming community can bring about a sea change in our socio-economic fabric. As Punjab’s highest capacity thermal power plant, not only does TSPL lend critical support to farmers during peak seasons, we also work with farmers on sharing modern agricultural practices, helping with training on new skillsets, tech-savviness and knowledge in line with the evolving paradigm of agriculture all over the world. We shall continue to support them in all possible ways to reduce input costs and reap maximum benefit.”
Gagandeep, a farmer associated with TSPL’s Navi Disha project for the past three years said, “The planter provided by TSPL will be very beneficial for us. We can’t wait to start sowing with the new machinery. We are grateful for all of TSPL’s endeavours towards increasing household income of the farming community.”
Appreciating the project, another farmer, Inderjeet, adds, “I have learned several techniques through the training sessions organized by TSPL. For example, I started sowing cotton on raised beds which resulted in significantly lower water consumption as compared to direct sowing thus, doubling the yield.”
TSPL has benefitted thousands of farmers through awareness sessions and trainings on various agriculture techniques and practices that are economically viable, environmentally sound and helps them reduce input costs. Regular interactions, expert sessions and camps are organized to help farmers identify soil fertility management, crop and soil deficiency, optimal use of fertilizers, as well as practices such as bed plantation, intercropping and crop residue management. In FY20, the project supported 1012 kharif crop farmers operating in 4313 acres of land, in significantly reducing chemical input and creating cumulative savings close to Rs 24.4 lakhs. In the same period, the project also helped 1106 rabi crop farmers working on 4650 acres of land save around Rs 7.25 lakhs in their overall input cost.
TSPL has been at the forefront of Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives in Mansa & Bathinda District of Punjab and has undertaken several social development projects around the plant site contributing towards socio economic development of the area. In the changing paradigm of social fabric due to the pandemic, TSPL is shouldering the responsibilities with district and police administration with full dedication and perseverance.
Vedanta’s Talwandi Sabo Power Limited (TSPL) is a supercritical 1980 MW world-class thermal power plant in Banawala, Mansa district, Punjab and supplies 100% of the electricity it generates to Punjab State Power Corporation Ltd. TSPL deploys globally benchmarked environment and safety practices making it Punjab’s greenest thermal power plant, and among the foremost zero-harm, zero-waste, zero-discharge thermal power producers in the country. The plant has been instrumental in the socio-economic development of the region since inception.
November 18,2020
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