Chief Minister Harish Rawat has sought the co-operation of BAIF Development Research Foundation in the execution of schemes related to agriculture, horticulture, forestry, fruit cultivation and animal husbandry development along with water conservation in the 13 districts of Uttarakhand.
The Almora district should be taken up as a pilot project, he said, while directing that a detailed outline for this be prepared and presented in a month. The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) would also provided financial assistance for this, he said.
In a meeting with officials of NABARD and BAIF Development Research Foundation, the CM said that aimed at small and poor farmers, schemes for encouraging farming should be made more practical. Implementation of schemes related to agriculture, animal husbandry, horticulture, dairy and water conservation in the village will strengthen the rural economy and help in stopping the migration of people from the villages to urban areas. Plantation of fodder species will resolve the shortage of fodder while also attracting more people to the business of animal husbandry. This in turn will also boost dairy production. Providing a subsidy of Rs six per litre to women-operated dairies has also boosted the dairy production in the State, he averred.
He asked BAIF representatives to make plans for other areas of the State on the linesof the programmes being operated with NABARD assistance for tribal villages in Sabhawala Dehradun. He said that in villages where the scheme is operated, five guava trees will be provided to each family. He asked BAIF to develop a nursery of walnut saplings to maximize walnut plantation. The government is providing `400 bonus per walnut tree. Some model villages should also be developed for this, he added.