Tuesday, 10 August 2021 | PNS | New Tehri
Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually interacted with Chamba resident Sushant Uniyal during an interaction with beneficiaries of Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojna. Uniyal told the PM that he has started mushroom production in the village to connect with his cultural roots. Modi also enquired about the village and was apprised of the mushroom cultivation process by Uniyal.
On Monday, PM Modi held a direct conversation with Uniyal, a resident of Dadur village in Chamba block of Tehri district. The PM sought information about his return. Uniyal said that it had come to his mind that self-employment should be adopted in the village. On being asked about how he chose mushroom cultivation, Uniyal said that mushrooms can be cultivated in his village for nine months under natural conditions. He said he first grew mushrooms on a small scale in the derelict rooms lying vacant in the village. After talking to Uniyal, PM Modi said that the youth and the water of mountains have proved useful for the mountain state. Modi tweeted after talking to Uniyal that the youth of the mountain come to good use for the people of the mountains.
Uniyal and his elder brother Prakash Uniyal earlier worked in Delhi. In 2017, the two brothers decided to quit their jobs and do something in their village and chose mushroom cultivation.
Initially they started growing mushrooms in the derelict home of the village. The experiment was successful and earned them about Rs 30,000.
After receiving training in mushroom cultivation from Solan in Himachal Pradesh they set up a mushroom production unit in collaboration with horticulture department and central government funded MIDH scheme. The two brothers then started commercial mushroom production from 2019. In 2019-20, their total mushroom production was 80 quintals and the income was Rs eight lakh. In 2020-21, they cultivated 90 quintals.
