Lok Sabha Question No. 3999 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-17
Subject: Strengthening Local Production and Market Access
Ministry: COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
Asked by: Shri Vishnu Datt Sharma

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY DEPARTMENT FOR PROMOTION OF INDUSTRY AND INTERNAL TRADE

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3999.

TO BE ANSWERED ON TUESDAY, THE 17 TH  MARCH, 2026.

## STRENGTHENING LOCAL PRODUCTION AND MARKET ACCESS

## 3999.  SHRI VISHNU DATT SHARMA:

## Will the Minister of COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY be pleased to state: वाणिज्य एवं उद्योग मंत्री

- (a) whether the Government is implementing initiatives such as One District One Product, export-promotion programmes and logistics-improvement measures nationwide to strengthen local production and market access, if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether  districts  of  Katni,  Panna  and  town  of  Khajuraho  in  Khajuraho  Lok Sabha region have been identified for ODOP,  export-promotion or logisticssupport initiatives and the sectors prioritised, if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the infrastructure, marketing support or export facilitation provided locally and the employment generated;
- (d) the  manner  in  which  such  initiatives  remain  limited  in  these  districts,  the reasons therefor and corrective steps taken thereon; and
- (e) the steps taken to integrate local agriculture, handicrafts, tourism products and small industries with national  and  export  markets  to  enhance  income opportunities in this region?

## ANSWER

## वाणिज्य एवं उद्योग मंत्रालय में राज्य मंत्री ( श्री णिणिन प्रसाद ) THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY (SHRI JITIN PRASADA)

- (a) & (b): The Government is implementing One District One Product initiative, Districts as Export Hubs (DEH) and logistics improvement measures across the country to boost local production and market access.

The  Districts  as  Export  Hubs  (DEH)  initiative  of  the  Directorate  General  of Foreign Trade (DGFT), Department of Commerce, aims to promote exports, manufacturing, and employment generation at the grassroots level and foster balanced regional development across the country by actively involving States and Districts as key stakeholders in export promotion. Institutional mechanisms in  the form of State Export Promotion Committees (SEPCs) at the State/UT level and District Export Promotion Committees (DEPCs) at the district level have been constituted to facilitate export promotion and address bottlenecks affecting export growth.

One  District  One  Product'  (ODOP)  is  an  initiative  by  the  Department  for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) with the aim to select, brand, and promote at least one product from each district of the country for enabling holistic  growth  across  all  regions.  The  selection  of  ODOP  products  is undertaken  by  the  respective  State/UT  Governments.  Madhya  Pradesh  has identified  Sandstone  (Katni  Stone)  from  Katni  district  and  Amla  (Indian Gooseberry) from Panna district. Workshops and export promotion activities such  as  Amla  processing  and  marketing  related  programmes  have  been organised  at  the  district  and  divisional  levels  to  promote  ODOP  products, MSME exports and to encourage entrepreneurship.

The Government has taken various measures for logistics improvement in the country.  PM  Gati  Shakti  National  Master  Plan  (PMGS  NMP),  launched  in October 2021, is a transformative approach which has brought synergy among various Ministries including Railways and Roadways, to ensure integrated and coordinated  planning  and  execution  of  infrastructure  projects.  This  aims  to provide seamless and efficient connectivity for movement of people, goods and services  across  various  modes  of  transport,  thereby  enhancing  logistics efficiency and last mile connectivity. Till date, 356 projects worth total estimated cost of Rs. 16.18 Lakh Crore have been evaluated through Network Planning Group (NPG) mechanism under the PMGS NMP framework, of which, total 24 projects fall in the Madhya Pradesh aiming to improve logistics and multi modal connectivity in the State including districts of Katni, Panna, etc. Further, the National  Logistics  Policy  (NLP),  launched  in  2022,  targets  to  create  a  cost efficient,  resilient,  and  sustainable  logistics  ecosystem.  Focus  areas  in  the National Logistics Policy include the Sectoral Plan for Efficient Logistics (SPEL) for major sectors of the economy like Coal, Cement, Fertilizer, Steel, Pharma etc.  examining  existing  supply  chain  networks  and  promoting  multi-modal transport, digitalization and automation.

- (c) to (e): As per the information received from State of Madhya Pradesh, in Katni, an Investment Facilitation Centre has been established by the ODOP Cell, Madhya Pradesh  to  facilitate  investment  and  industry  promotion.  Further  in  Panna, under ODOP (Amla), five processing units have been established which are providing employment to approximately 10 persons per unit (around 50 persons in total). These units support value addition, marketing and local entrepreneurship in horticulture products. Steps are being taken through ODOP promotion, export awareness programmes, MSME facilitation, value addition in agricultural and horticultural products, and investment promotion initiatives. The ODOP Cell of Madhya Pradesh undertakes promotional and capacity-building initiatives to strengthen technology adoption, branding and export linkages of district products.

Further, district-level departments and agencies undertake activities such as training programmes, workshops, processing units, export awareness events and coordination with export promotion organisations to connect local producers with national and export markets from time to time. To promote local agriculture and handicrafts, GI tagging of unique products has been taken up as  a  focused  mission  in  Madhya  Pradesh,  with  a  State-level  nodal  officer designated for the purpose. ODOP and GI promotion are regularly reviewed by the  District/State  Administration.  A  continuous  evaluation  mechanism  for monitoring ODOP progress at the district level is also being developed by the State.

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