The State Government would formally launch the much-awaited free-mobile phone scheme for the farmers on June 8 next as Odisha takes the credit of being the second State in the country after Haryana to implement the scheme.
According to Cooperation Department secretary Bishnupada Sethy, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik would launch the scheme at a function to be held in Bhubaneswar on June 8. Over 5,000 farmers belonging to all districts have been invited to the function.
On the occasion, the 5,000 farmers would be given free mobile telephones, he said. Finance Minister Prasanna Acharya in his first ever Agriculture Budget had announced free mobile phone scheme for 20,000 leading farmers costing about Rs 1,000 each during the current 2013-14 financial year.
Sethy said that the objective of the scheme is to empower the farmers for proper planning of crops and better price realization for their produce. It is a Central project developed by the IIT, Kanpur, he said.
The farmers would have to register themselves with the Digital Mandi to get information on market prices of various produce in other markets of the country at their hand instantly through mobile phones. The scheme would be implemented by the Regulated Market Committees , the Cooperation Secretary informed.
He said that the farmers can also access information on market prices of agricultural produce at any time in the Government of India’s “agmarknet.nic.in” portal.