Negligence in implementing farmers’ schemes won’t be tolerated: Assam Minister Hazarika
Minister of Agriculture Pijush Hazarika today chaired a high-level review meeting to assess the functioning of the Agriculture Department, taking stock of various Central Government schemes and the challenges faced in their implementation across the state.
Emphasising the need to boost farmer registration for central schemes, the Minister called for an intensive drive to bring more farmers under the ambit of initiatives like PM-KISAN and PM Fasal Bima Yojana. He strongly urged officials to update and expand the state’s current figure of 27 lakh registered farming families, noting that many unregistered families are currently missing out on crucial scheme benefits.
“Horticulture holds the key to multiplying the income of our farmers, who are predominantly engaged in paddy cultivation,” Minister Hazarika stated.
To drive this transition, the Minister directed the department to organize a daylong review meeting with the District Agriculture Officers (DAOs) of all 35 districts on June 14 in Guwahati. During this meeting, DAOs will be given specific targets to distribute a total of 15 lakh horticulture saplings to nearly 5 lakh farmers over the next month. Respective MLAs will also be consulted to help finalize the list of beneficiaries in their constituencies.
Furthermore, the Minister issued a strict warning against the sale of substandard agricultural inputs. He directed the Department to issue a formal warning to all government-licensed Beej Bhandars (seed stockists) to ensure they only sell quality, certified seeds to farmers. Non-compliant vendors will face immediate blacklisting alongside strict legal action.
Addressing the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF), Minister Hazarika called for a joint meeting with the Industries Department to align overlapping schemes.
He also emphasized the necessity of close coordination between the Agriculture and Irrigation Departments to optimize crop productivity.
The review meeting was attended by Commissioner and Secretary of the Agriculture Department, Aruna Rajoria, Vice-Chancellor of Assam Agricultural University, Dibyajyoti Rajkhowa, Director of Agriculture Ratul Pathak, and other senior officials.
