The Mountainous land Consolidation Advisory Committee submitted the proposed draft of the Uttarakhand mountainous land tilling improvement and system bill to the Chief Minister Harish Rawat and agriculture minister Harak Singh Rawat at a function in Dehradun on Tuesday. CM Rawat said he would publicise the draft among the people in the next three months so as help them to give their opinions of the same. “The State Government would organise intensive campaign for next three months to educate the people about the proposed land consolidation bill. later, we would get hilly land consolidation reform and management bill passed in the Uttarkahand Assembly following discussion and debate,” he said.
The CM said that slews of experiments are being done by the state government to improve productivity in agriculture. ‘Cluster Approach’ is also being adopted with good results. Farmers are also being motivated to sow the same harvest in same region, he said.
“The State Government is trying to enact the land consolidation Act while taking with the people on board. State will make sure that no one incurs oss,” he said while stressing on the contribution of women to the development of rural economy. “Women must be involved in the land consolidation reforms being carried out in the hilly terrain. Councils involving them will be formed in every district,” he added. CM Rawat said that the service of the farmers who have become the voice of the community would be used in full in the agrarian reform. “Besides, we will have to adopt modern technique or institutional improvement to take things ahead. land consolidation coupled with modern techniques would work wonder,” he said.
CM reiterated that whatever decision they had taken to promote the hilly produce are now yielding positive results. “Following the apple festival held in Dehradun and Delhi, the people have come to know that myriad varieties of apples grow in Uttarakhand too. After the exhibition was held the sale volume of Mandua, Jhangora, Gahat and other agriculture produce is on the upswing,” he said, adding that he had instructed the horticulture department officials to prepare plan to buy Malta and lemon at the market price. “Next year, the focus would be on Kaddu, Kumhda and Bhujela,” CM said.
The state agriculture minister Harak Singh Rawat said that a consolidation advisory committee had been constituted under the directions of CM Harish Rawat. Subject experts had been appointed for this, he said, adding that the focus of the proposed bill is on uplifting agriculture and generating employment opportunities. “We would grant Rs 1 crore for the development of the villages where land would be consolidated,” he said. Provision of Rs 5 crore as token money has also been made in the budget, he stated.
The president of Parvatiya Chakbandi Salahkar Samiti Kedar Singh Rawat informed about the assigned format of consolidation on the occasion.
The vice-president of Advisory Committee Ganesh Singh Gareeb, Dashrath Chand, Renu Negi and Bachi Singh Dev along with additional secretaries Savin Bansal, JP Joshi, Kunwar Singh Bhandari , GS Rana and Santosh Badoni were among those present.