Union agri ministry organises conference of Lieutenant Governors of all UTs
Addressing the conference of Lieutenant Governors/Administrators of all UTs, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar stated that the benefits of central government schemes for the agriculture sector should reach the correct farmers.
Tomar said that there is a lot of potential in the Union Territories for the cultivation of high-value crops and oil palm as per global standards.
Manoj Sinha, Lieutenant Governor, J&K, Admiral D K Joshi, Lieutenant Governor, Andaman and Nicobar Island participated in the discussion and gave an overview of the implementation of various schemes of the central government in their respective UTs. Officials and delegates of other UTs also participated in the discussions.
The presentation showcased investment opportunities of around Rs 1700 crore and Employment generation opportunities of more than 20,000 in 7 UTs under activities like dry storage, packhouse, cold storage, ripening chamber, reefer vehicles, smart and precision farming etc. related to AIF. During the presentations, the UTs were asked to extend all the required assistance to farmers and banks to cover all eligible farmers of the UTs, to schedule camps at bank branches level for receiving application form for KCC, to hold a meeting of Gram Sabha to inform the farmers about the drive and to conduct review meeting on regular basis. UT wise implementation status of the PM FasalBimaYojana was discussed.
The NMEO-OP, oil palm mission and oil palm strategy were also discussed with emphasis on Andaman & Nicobar. Possibilities for oilseeds crop in three UTs (J&K & Ladakh) were also highlighted. The presentation also explained the Sub-Mission on seeds and planting materials (SMSP). Presentations were also made on Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture and schemes implemented by the marketing division.
Among those who attended the conference were Kailash Choudhary, MoS Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shobha Karandlaje, MoS, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Sanjay Agarwal, Secretary, MoAFW along with senior officials of the MoAFW and all UTs and progressive farmers.
