CM sets up group of ministers for promoting agriculture

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 18

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat today announced setting up of a group of ministers for ensuring better coordination between agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry, fisheries, sericulture and tea production departments.

Addressing the inaugural session of a two-day state-level workshop on horticulture being held at Madho Singh Bhandari Kisan Bhavan, Dehradun, today, Chief Minister Harish Rawat apart from setting up a group of ministers also directed for coming up with a workplan for ensuring better workings of these departments. He emphasised on the need of agriculture equipments that are hill agriculture friendly. He said efforts were also on to bring agriculture and horticulture in one single platform.

Referring to land consolidation (chakbandi), Chief Minister Harish Rawat said land consolidation was important to strengthen agriculture in hills. He said states like Himachal Pradesh have progressed in agriculture and horticulture sectors mainly because of introduction of land consolidation. He also stressed on identifying new areas of production of apples and called for preparation of a master plan in this regard. He also informed that farmers above the age of 60 years will be provided with pensions.

The Chief Minister on the occasion also visited an exhibition of agriculture equipments put up on the occasion. He released state horticulture department’s souvenir.

Uttarakhand Agriculture Minister Harak Singh Rawat said Uttarakhand was fast getting an identity of a horticulture state. He said horticulture is proving to be a big source of livelihood opportunities for the people of the state. He also underlined the need of undertaking cluster based agriculture. Additional Chief Secretary S Raju, Secretary Horticulture and Secretary Horticulture Dr Nidhi Pandey also spoke on the occasion.