Though the former Chief Secretary Sudhansu Mohan Patnaik-headed Farmers’ Commission submitted its report to the State Government way back on December 12, 2012, the same has not been presented in the State Assembly as there is no statutory requirement or precedent of laying such a report in the House.
This was informed by Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment Minister Pradeep Maharthy in the Assembly in response to a question of BJP MlA Dilip Ray on Wednesday.
The four-member commission was constituted on January 2, 2010. While Patnaik headed it, the other three members were soil scientist Dr Niranjan Panda, economist Dr Sudhakar Panda and former OUAT Vice-Chancellor Dr Debi Prasad Ray. The commission was asked to make a study on farm and farmers’ problems and give recommendations for their solution.
“The Government had written to the Assembly Secretary for laying of the commission’s report, but the latter intimated that there was no statutory requirement or precedent for lying of such a report in the House. Hence, the report has not been laid,” the Minister mentioned.
However, Maharathy informed that the Government later formed a seven-member Expert Committee headed by the Agriculture and Food Production Director on January 17, 2014 to examine the recommendations, and the committee has met twice on August 14, 2014 and June 27, 2015 since then.