TSPL supports Punjab’s farmers with advanced machinery (Multi Crop Bed Planter)

TSPL supports Punjab’s farmers with advanced machinery (Multi Crop Bed Planter)

Kanwar inder Singh/ royalpatiala.in

Talwandi Sabo Power Limited (TSPL), the largest thermal power plant in Punjab, has handed over the advanced multi-crop bed planter to farmers group under its CSR project ‘Navi Disha’ for promotion of sustainable agricultural practices. Navi Disha is the company’s flagship CSR project,initiated in 2017, with an outreach of over 1400 farmers from 26 villages of Mansa and Bhatinda districts of Punjab. The project is implemented by The Nabha Foundation.

The multi-crop bed 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% further reducing seed consumption by 40-50%.Over the past month,TNF supported by TSPL organised several knowledge enhancement camps and awareness sessions for over 500 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,  Pankaj Sharma,COO,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 a responsible corporate we are committed to social development of the area and work very closely with the farmers, sharing modern agricultural practices, helping them with training on new skill sets, 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.”

Mehma Singh, a farmer from Dhingar Village associated with TSPL’s Navi Disha project since 2017 appreciated the initiative and thanked the company for providing the bed planter to farmers group, “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. We hope that TSPL shall continue to support us in future as well.”

Appreciating the initiative, another farmer, Manjeet Singh from Raipur village, added, “I have learned several techniques through the training sessions organized by TSPL. Last year bed planter was handed over to farmers in my village and it helped us optimise usage of seed and water for irrigation.”

TSPL has benefitted thousands of farmers through awareness sessions and training’s 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, inter cropping and crop residue management.

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 23,2021