Shimla nodal officer honoured with best performance award

Sanjay Kanwar, District Nodal Officer, Shimla, has been conferred with the Best Performance District Nodal Officer Award under the Prime Minister's Micro Food Processing Enterprises Scheme (PMFME) by the Union Ministry of Food Processing Industries at the PMFME Conclave held in New Delhi. Kanwar was given the award in recognition of his significant contribution to and effective implementation of the scheme. Kanwar presented the award to Deputy Commissioner Anupam Kashyap in Shimla on Tuesday. The Deputy Commissioner congratulated him and said the achievement highlighted the efforts being made by the administration to promote micro food processing enterprises in Himachal Pradesh and ensure that local entrepreneurs benefit from the scheme. Kashyap said that the PMFME was a flagship scheme of the Central Government aimed at strengthening and formalising micro food processing units in the country by providing financial, technical and institutional support. 'The scheme provides credit-linked capital subsidy, training, capacity building, technical assistance, and support in branding and marketing to small entrepreneurs engaged in food processing. Its special emphasis is on promoting the processing and value addition of local agricultural and food products in line with the 'One District One Product' initiative,' he added. The Deputy Commissioner said that the scheme aimed to strengthen micro enterprises engaged in food processing at the local level by providing financial and institutional support, increase employment opportunities and encourage entrepreneurship. He added that since 2021, the district administration had received a total of 3,297 applications, and 3,185 of which had been recommended to banks for loan approval. 'In the financial year 2026-27, from April 1 to September 5, 2026, the District Industries Centre, Shimla, has recommended 284 new cases to various banks for loan approval. These cases are considered an important step towards promoting self-employment and food processing activities under the scheme,' he said.