Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said Meghalaya is organic by default and a new scheme was launched after Modi government came to the power and allocated funds to the state. It bears recall that BJP is focusing its attention in Meghalaya as the elections are due in the state. Earlier, BJP President Amit Shah promised to usher in BJP rule in the state.
Singh said the utility certificate of Rs 1.59 crore allocated in FY 2016-17 has not yet been sent to the Government of India. The funds allocated by the Modi government in the last four years under oilseeds and oil palm mission wasn’t utilised between 2014-15 and 2015-16. In FY 2016-17, only Rs 57 lakh has been spent.
Speaking at ICAR Research Complex for NEH Region, Umiam Union Agriculture Minister accused the Congress govt of laxity to help the lot of farmers. “Center allocated Rs 1.5 crores in FY 2017-18, and out of that Rs 80 lakhs has already been released. So far, we don’t have any report of expenditure. I would like to tell the state government to speed up implementation of the schemes started by the Modi Government to increase the income of the farmers”, Singh charged.
Singh was however, full of praise for ICAR Research Complex and said since its inception it has done many basic, strategic and applied research specific to the farming problems of the NEH Region. He was addressing a gathering at the North-East Regional Agriculture Fair 2018 organised by the ICAR Research Complex for North Eastern Hill (NEH) Region, Umiam, Meghalaya.
Singh said “it developed 32 location specific farming system and agro-forestry models, including viable alternatives to shifting cultivation, release of 56 crop varieties, which includes 37 rice varieties, identifying high yielding livestock and fish species/breeds.
It also helped in packaging of practices for field and horticultural crops including production technology for 32 crops on cropping system basis, livestock and fish farming practices, crop and livestock production measures etc. are some of the salient research achievements of the institute, Minister added.
“Recognising the need for the skilled human resource in the development of agriculture, the Central Agricultural University, Imphal, has been strengthened. Before the Modi Government, there were only seven colleges in the eastern states, which has been increased to 13 in the last three-and-a-half-year and it includes a horticulture college and an agricultural college in Badapani, Meghalaya. Earlier, there were 5 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) in Meghalaya and now the state has seven”, Minister patted himself.
The cooperation and convergence among the states, public, private and other stakeholders in the state and sharing of information, technology, knowledge and resources can play a key role in mutual development by saving of precious natural resources and time, Singh theorized.