Agriculture key to rural employment generation: Commissioner Secretary APD

SRINAGAR, JULY 10: Commissioner Secretary Agriculture Production Department, Mehrajudin Khan, today chaired a State Level Project Screening Committee meeting here to review the performance and achievements of Agriculture and allied departments.
On the occasion, Commissioner Secretary stressed upon the need of upholding the interests of the farming community. He highlighted the concept of integrated farming in order to achieve the target of doubling the farmer’s income by the year 2022.
He desired the real-time technologies should be made available to the farmers for the overall progress of the vital sector. “Amid changing global agriculture scenario, we must have a skill-based technology-oriented farming society,” he added.
Khan exhorted upon the participants to utilize all the expertise and experience to make farming an attractive and remunerative enterprise. He said the government is committed for strengthening the pre and post-harvest infrastructure in the state so that innovative and modern facilities and services could be provided to the farmers.
Talking about the agriculture Universities of the state, he said that they are of paramount importance but the need is that the impact of research conducted by these premier institutions should appear on the ground.
Commissioner Secretary directed the heads of different departments to make plan and proposals as per the requirements on the ground for submission to the Government. He sanctioned Rs 21.29 crore under RKVY on the occasion. He asked the officers to submit supplementary plans so that more funds can be released well in time.
Describing agriculture as the backbone of state’s economy, Khan said that the biggest challenge emerging before the state is the unemployment and to tackle this challenge agriculture sector has a key role to play. He impressed upon the heads of different departments to explore all the possibilities of employment generation in their concerned fields so that more and more youth could get opportunities for sustenance.
Khan said that sericulture is the oldest indigenous industry of the state and the sector needs an impetus for its revival. He reiterated the government’s commitment to revive Sericulture industry on modern lines and on the priority.
Earlier, Director Agriculture Kashmir, who is also Mission
Director RKVY J&K, gave a detailed presentation of various components of the mission. He highlighted the achievements and milestones that have been achieved by the departments so far.
Director General Sericulture Development Department Mir Tariq Ali, Director Agriculture Kashmir Altaf Aijaz Andrabi, Director Agriculture Jammu H.K Razdan, Director Floriculture Jammu Babita Rakhwal, Director Command Area Jammu Jatinder Singh, Director Command Area Kashmir M. Haroon Malik, Director Fisheries R. N Pandita, Special Secretary APD, Director Research SKUASTK Dr. M.Y. Zargar, Director Research SKUASTJ Dr. T.P Sharma and Director Planning APD attended the meeting.