Patanjali to Review Decision Over Food Park After Yogi’s Assurance

Earlier, Patanjali said it was pulling out of its proposed food project citing non-cooperation from the UP govt.

Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali will soon diversify into solar power.

(Photo: Reuters)

A day after Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali Ayurved announced that it will pull out of Uttar Pradesh its proposed Rs 6,000-crore mega food processing project along the Yamuna Expressway in Greater Noida, the company on Wednesday, 6 June, said it is reviewing its decision on it.

On Tuesday, Patanjali had cited non-cooperation from the state government and delay in clearances for transfer of land as its reasons for pulling out. However, a day later, Uttar Pradesh Minister Yogi Adityanath directed officials to expedite the process for Patanjali Ayurved to set up its food park, reported PTI.

We are reviewing our decision in the light of assurances given by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. We do trust the assurances given by him.

Patanjali spokesperson SK Tijarawala, as quoted by PTI

Earlier in the day, a senior state government official clarified that the project has not been cancelled and CM Adityanath spoke to Patanjali Ayurved MD Acharya Balkrishna over the matter.

The chief minister has talked to Acharya Balkrishna and heard his grievances. There is no cancellation yet. They have been allotted land and the project is yet to commence. The CM has directed to expedite the process and also directed officers for the same.

Principal secretary (Information) Awanish Awasthi to PTI

On Wednesday, a top official of the company had told PTI that the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) could not get the required clearances for transfer of land from the state government.

However, the UP government had said it has given one more month to Patanjali to meet the conditions required to get the final approval.

Patanjali Ayurved MD Had Slammed the Yogi Govt on Tuesday

Acharya Balkrishna, who is the Managing Director of Patanjali Ayurveda Ltd and a close associate of Baba Ramdev, had taken to Twitter on Tuesday to condemn the state government inaction. In his tweet, Balkrishna had stated that food park would be shifted to some other state.

Today, we heard about the decision to cancel the mega food park project in Greater Noida. The project was approved by the central government. Our dream to bring prosperity to the farmers of the area has been left unfulfilled because of the apathy of the state government. Patanjali has decided to shift the project elsewhere.

Acharya Balkrishna in a tweet on Tuesday

In another tweet, he shared an image of the proposed plan for the Patanjali food park, adding that it would have given thousands of people employment and ensured prosperity for lakhs of farmers.

Speaking to a news channel on the issue on Tuesday, Balkrishna had once again slammed the Yogi Adityanath-led UP government, reportedly saying that it was focusing less on work and more on enjoyment.

According to a Patanjali spokesperson, SK Tijarawala, the food park was supposed to come up on 425 acres of land in Greater Noida. The project was supposed to attract an investment of Rs 6,000 crore.

(With inputs from PTI.)

Video Producer: Srishti Tyagi
Video Editor: Vishal Kumar