Lt Governor chairs a Review meeting of Agriculture Production Department
SRINAGAR, JULY 26: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha today chaired a high-level meeting to review performance of Agriculture Production Department and progress made in agriculture, allied sector and flagship scheme of Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP).
The meeting, at Civil Secretariat, was attended by Dr Arun Kumar Mehta, Chief Secretary; Shailendra Kumar, Administrative Secretary, Agriculture Production Department (Addl. Charge); Santosh D Vaidya, Principal Secretary, Finance Department; Dr Mandeep Kumar Bhandari, Principal Secretary to Lt Governor; Baldev Prakash, MD & CEO J&K Bank; Dr Nazir A Ganai, Vice Chancellor SKUAST Kashmir and other senior officers.
The Lt Governor directed the officials to establish 2000 Kisan Khidmat Centres on priority for handholding and clusterization and linking all farmers to institutional credit.
Timely and hassle-free credit to small and marginal farmers would play important role in increasing production, he added.
Highlighting the important role SKUAST-Jammu and SKUAST-Kashmir in conceptualizing Holistic Agriculture Development Programme, the Lt Governor said the continued support of two Universities in implementation of 29 projects should be ensured.
He further directed to extend Daksh Kisan module to colleges to inform budding entrepreneurs about scope and opportunities in agri-business.
The High Density Plantation Scheme has been extended to 13 Crops now. The farmers should be provided with guidance and support to chart out a new course and reap the benefits of technology extension, better infrastructure and improved marketing facilities, the Lt Governor told the officials.
The Lt Governor congratulated the officials and all stakeholders generating overwhelming response from farmers across the UT for the ongoing Kisan Sampark Abhiyan.
The Lt Governor directed for impact assessment of Kisan Sampark Abhiyan and exploring the possibility to extend the drive beyond August so that maximum farmers are covered and maximum utilization of schemes under HADP is ensured.
He said, the 29 interventions of HADP focuses on quality, productivity and efficiency in Agriculture and Allied Sectors.
