Bhubaneswar:Sri Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, Deputy Chief Minister, Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment (DA&FE), chaired a review meeting at Krushi Bhavan today. He reviewed the PM Kisan, Digital Crop Survey and priorities of the new government on Agriculture sector. Principal Secretary Dr Arabinda Padhee; Directors of DA&FE were present at the meeting along with senior officials of the department.
On the occasion, the Deputy Minister also unveiled the booklet on Knowledge Sharing for Effective Administration (K-SEA). The Principal Secretary assured the Hon’ble Minister and everyone present that every effort will be undertaken to ensure the booklet reaches all the officials in the department as well as to other departments for reference and perusal.
Director, DA&FP, welcomed the Hon’ble Minister and commenced the meeting by providing a background to PM Kisan. He presented a detailed analysis of the scheme followed by a discussion on the implementation challenges. The Principal Secretary and the Director sought the decision of the Hon’ble Minister on the suggestions and future course of action. Hon’ble Minister enquired on the action taken against discrepancies and erring officers. He further instructed the department officials to ensure strict action is taken against fraudulent activities under the scheme.
A discussion ensued on the Digital Crop Survey with the Director emphasizing on enabling personalised service delivery to farmers. He discussed the achievement in Digital Crop Survey in its pilot phase during Kharif-2023. Based on the learnings derived from Digital Crop Survey Kharif-2023, it will further be conducted in 30 districts of the State in Kharif-2024. The development of a mobile application and web portal for Digital Crop Survey was also discussed.
The review meeting further progressed with the Deputy Chief Minister taking cognisance of the priorities of the new government for the agriculture sector. The Principal Secretary also briefed him about the success stories realised due to the efforts of the Department including the Odisha Millet Mission. Sharing his experience of farming in his hometown during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hon’ble Minister expressed his pleasure at becoming a part of the Agriculture Department. On learning about Ama Krushi providing knowledge dissemination and advisory to farmers via the helpline number 155333, the Hon’ble Minister called the helpline number and spoke with the Ama Krushi representative to understand the services and the solutions offered to farmers.
Speaking on agriculture being an important part of the economy, the Deputy Chief Minister said, “We need to strive to promote and involve each and every household in agriculture. People are moving away from it and we need to enable them to learn and earn their livelihood. “ Stressing on promoting agriculture and allied activities to prevent inter-state migration, he called upon the officials to rise to the occasion and deliver the promises made to the farmers. Seeking cooperation of people in the department to reach the last mile, he further said, “I am a part of your team. We will work as a team together and deliver on the promises, address farmer issues on-the-ground and take this mission ahead.” The review meeting concluded with the Principal Secretary thanking the Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister and promising the full-fledged support of the Agriculture Department in realising his vision for the State’s agriculture sector.
