The Union Government has advised the State Government to facilitate transition of workers from agriculture to the industry and service sectors as the latter two sectors get enhanced outputs from them.
The NITI Aayog has stated that output per worker in industry sector is five times more than that of agriculture sector and it is 3.8 times more service sector, as per its estimation.
Moving one per cent workers from agriculture to industry sector can improve the country’s overall Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 1.5 per cent. So it would be in the interest both the State and country to move more workers to industry and service sectors, pointed out the NITI Aayog.
While Odisha is attracting investments in industry sector, fracilitating transition of more workers to industry and servicse sectors would help out the State to improve its GDP.
It is observed that only 1.7 per cent of enterprises have 10 or more workers. In order to increase productivity, the State Government is requested to encourage increase the size of firms and industries to grow from micro to small, small to medium and medium to large industries.
The NITI Aayog has visualized growth in industry and service sectors for some years, which is helping in improving the country’s GDP. During the last Chief Secretaries’ Meet organised by the NITI Aayog, faclitation of transition of workforce was recommended, among others. It has come to fore that non-farm income of the farmers comprises 40 per cent of their income.
While the Union Government is harping on doubling farmers’ income by 2022, the State Government has been requested to focus on generating non-farm income opportunities for the farmers.
This would not only help the farmers to improve their income but provide more opportunities to meet their aspirations.
NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant has written to the State Government in this regard and urged for bringing reformes in the agricultural sector, which has not kept pace with non-farm sectors in terms of output.
During these years, credit flow to the agriculture sector has also increased.
The State Government has been asked to direct their efforts towards increasing coverage of crop insurance scheme by 40 per cent in this year and 50 per cent by 2019-20.