With agriculture in the State progressively becoming non-remunerative for the farmers, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Saturday announced setting up of a State Advisory Council for Agriculture Skills.
This will help prepare a comprehensive time-bound action plan for imparting skills to the unemployed youth in the agriculture and allied sector.
Besides, the Council will be promoting the existing farm practices on scientific and modern lines.
In a meeting with a high-powered delegation of Agriculture Skill Council of India (ASCI) led by Chairman Sanjeev Asthana here, the CM emphasised that skill upgradation is the need of the hour and the State is all set to extend support and cooperation to implement the skill development programme.
He even gave the go-ahead to farm mechanisation company John Deere to set up a Centre of Excellence (COE) in affordable farm mechanisation to encourage farmers to adopt the latest practices to enhance their yield, both quantitatively and qualitatively.
Badal asked ASCI to explore the feasibility of promoting fishery, apiary, piggery, goatery (small remnants), besides mushroom cultivation through a structured approach.
To achieve all this, he also gave in principle approval to ASCI to set up its regional office in the Kheti Bhawan at SAS Nagar (Mohali) so as to function in a far more coordinated and result oriented manner. Badal also asked the Chairman ASCI to prepare a blueprint for the skill development perspective on agriculture and allied sector with reference to Punjab keeping in view its peculiar nature of agrarian economy and socio-economic conditions of the local peasantry.
He further said that he would like to include this vision document in the report to be submitted to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi by him as the Chairman of Sub Group of Chief Ministers on Skill.
Asthana, on his part, outlined the vision and mission of the council to improve the economic lot of the farmers engaged in agriculture and other allied professions like dairy, animal husbandry and others.
He agreed to submit a detailed document including suggestions and views for up-gradation of skills in farm sector as a ‘Punjab Model’, which could be later on replicated at the national level by the Centre.
Asthana assured the Chief Minister that they would jointly work out a strategy to finalise the modalities for setting up of other COEs in consultation with the senior officers of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Technical Education.
On the occasion, a cross section of progressive farmers especially involved in dairy, apiary, piggery, fishery, horticulture and others put forth their vital inputs before the Chief Minister and the visiting delegation.
Those present included senior officials of the State Government, besides Vice Chancellor PAU Dr. BS Dhillon, Vice Chancellor GADVASU Dr AS Nanda and officers of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development, Horticulture and Technical Education.
Several eminent scientists, experts and academicians from the premier institutions of national and international repute related to agriculture and allied sector also attended the meeting.