While agriculture, horticulture and animal husbandry departments are being integrated under Integrated livelihood Cooperation Project, other departments meant to generate employment are being connected with digital extension service. To speed things up, chief project director D Senthil Pandian convened a meeting at the Secretariat on Friday during which the technical experts have made power-point presentations about how the farmers’ income could be enhanced.
The meeting was told that migration remaining a daunting challenge of the state, digital extension service can play an important role in checking it. The meeting was attended among others by the officers of agriculture, horticulture and animal husbandry departments. They suggested how the digital extension service could serve the State endowed with diverse geographical conditions.
Anand Babu, an expert who came from Karnataka, said that the service is being provided to the farmers of Karnataka, Telangana, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Jharkhand. Under this project, a special kind of device loaded with the required data is being used at the village levels that is enabling the farmers to avail the benefit by downloading app in their mobile phones. The service is free of cost, he said, adding that the state government here would have to set up a device at district magistrate levels at a nominal cost of Rs 16000-Rs 20000 per device.
The expert heard out and appreciated the presentations made by the officers of the three departments. He said that their suggestions are useful and can be disseminated through apps to the farmers.
He stressed on setting up state-specific device, keeping in view its peculiar geographical topography. It was decided that the device would be made under Integrated livelihood Cooperation Project involving cooperative, agriculture, horticulture and animal husbandry departments.
The meeting was attended among others by additional director, Uttarakhand rural development committee Dr Ram Vilas Yadav.