After being informed that the administration was finding it difficult to clear compensation due to the farmers on count of crop loss caused by natural calamities because of the lack of requisite survey at the Tehsil levels generally done by the Patwaris, the Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said that the Patwari departments must be revamped with recruitment of 1000 Patwaris. The officials informed the CM in course of a meeting involving officers related to agriculture- connected departments on Wednesday that 1000 Patwaris must be recruited to conduct the crop damage assessment at the village levels.
Referring to the horticulture department, CM asked the State Agriculture Minister Subodh Uniyal to ensure availability of the plants and protect the interests of the farmers through bringing a nursery act. “We must collect information through the horticulture department over the volume of plantation conducted over the past five years following physical verification,” he said while saying that a proposal would be tabled in the cabinet to have the revolving fund fixed to ensure availability of seeds to the farmers. While reviewing the schemes related to irrigation, CM asked the officials concerned to provide the details of the irrigation facilities being given. Referring to the claims of 100 percent execution of the irrigation projects, he said that it is important to have things physically verified by the Chief Minister’s Office. He stressed on promoting organic farming, providing the farmers with the State of the art technology, promoting traditional crops in the hills and providing soil health cards to the farmers.
While reviewing the Centrally aided schemes, CM asked the officials concerned to send utilisation certificates of the funds released so far to the Centre to enable the State Government to seek the next installment in time. Citing the fact that cultivation in close to 89 percent areas is still dependent on rains, CM asked them to demand more funds from the Centre under the Prime Minister Krishi Sichai Yojna (PM agriculture irrigation scheme). He asked the officers of both the agriculture and horticulture departments to firm up a solid road map about how to increase the income of the common men and the farmers.
“We must prepare a scheme meant to give a fixed amount to the farmers at the minimum possible interests to enthuse those engaged in agriculture and horticulture to begin things afresh. The amount can be up to Rs one lakh at a time,” he said.
In tune with BJP’s pre-election pledge to revolutionise the rural life in the hills to stop migration, CM exhorted the officers of both the departments to go for out of the box ways to brings about economic revolution in the developmentally long- stagnating hills. “We must arrange high quality seeds and to make them available, we must approach Pantnagar University. We must club the works of several inter-related departments to ensure optimum utilisation of their resources. We should lay stress on developing high quality walnut and pomegranate plants. Besides, thrust should be laid on herbal cultivation with focus on developing alovera nursery. Adequate arrangements must be made to boost production and marketing of aromatic plants,” CM Rawat said.
Giving detailed information of the reform works now going on in the realm of agriculture, the additional chief secretary Ranbir Singh said that as per the one village one farm scheme conceived by the agriculture department, schemes involving 563 revenue villages /clusters worth Rs 505.8 crore have been submitted so far. He also suggested that the Uttarakhand Agriculture Produce Market (development and exchange) Act should be duly amended in tune with the suggestion given by the Centre.
The meeting was attended among others by additional chief secretary to CM Omprakash, secretaries D Senthi Pandian and Radhika Jha and agriculture director Gauri Shankar Singh.