Bhubaneswar (25/06): Shree Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, Hon’ble 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 Hon’ble 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 Hon’ble 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, Hon’ble 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.
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