Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 16: Asserting that the Government has tagged agriculture and allied activities as thrust sector, Minister for Health and Floriculture, Sham Lal Sharma today asked the concerned functionaries to adopt proactive approach to tap the huge potential of this vital sector.
The Minister was addressing the participants after inaugurating one day farmers’ awareness Camp held here at Akhnoor to educate them about the benefits of Kissan Credit Cards.
Mr Sham said that attention was required to be focused both on the production of quality agriculture and horticulture produce and its safe export to the terminal markets to ensure substantial returns to the farmers and fruit growers.
Mr Sham said that State economy was primarily rural and agriculture and its allied activities, including horticulture are major areas providing livelihood to the people. He highlighted the significance of these sectors in the overall development of the State.
Elaborating on the scope of these sectors, the Minister said that agro-based small industries promise substantial and viable avenues for budding entrepreneurs of the State to venture upon and earn handsome livelihood not only for them self but for others also. He said Central and State Governments have introduced various schemes to encourage investment in this sector. He asked the farmers, particularly youth to take best advantage of these schemes and create a healthy and growing temperament in agriculture and allied sectors.
He said that agriculture activities are being encouraged in the Akhnoor tehsil under various Centrally and State sponsored schemes including micro management, technology mission, seed village programme, poly green houses development programme, water harvesting drip irrigation and irrigation facilities etc. The Minister exhorted farmer community to come forward and take the benefits of the schemes launched by the Government for boosting agriculture production.
The sarpanchs, panchs and farmers regarding the benefits of Kissan Credit Cards scheme and problem putforth by different farmers was discussed in detail by the NABARD and local Bank officers.
The meeting informed that the J&K Bank and other allied Banks also offer benefits to the farmers who get the KCC. The Managers of various Banks like J&K Bank, Grameen Bank, PNB Bank and JCC Bank also threw light on the salient futures of the loan schemes and educated the participants about the eligibility and formalities.
In order to improve services at the grass root level, Mr Sham said that the panchayat functionaries have been made responsible to monitor the progress of all service providing department in these areas. The Minister also fixed the target of September 30, 2012 for all concerned department for issuing the KCCs.
Among others Director Floriculture, K K Sharma, Director Horticulture, J N Sharma, Cluster Head NABARD, B D Gupta, Lead District Manager, R C Sharma, Manager, PNB Akhnoor, Manager, JCC Bank, Chief Agriculture Officer Jammu, Chief Medical Officer Jammu, Dr Javed, SDM Akhnoor, all Managers Grameen Banks of Akhnoor, sarpanchs and panchs and all sectoral officers were also present on the occasion.
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