CM Jagan asks officials to include farm tools management in ITI, polytechnic
Vijayawada: Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has directed officials to introduce ‘management and use of farm tools’ in the curricula of ITI and polytechnic courses to enable youths help farmers in the cultivation of crops.
The CM reviewed progress of various works and projects being taken up in agriculture and its allied sectors with ministers and senior officials at his Camp Office on Monday.
Jagan advised the officials to set up Community Hiring Centres on the lines of Rythu Bharosa Kendras to help farmers overcome the shortage of farm labourers and enable them hire farm tools at low cost.
He opined that if expertise is made available in villages on how to use farm tools, it would be of immense help to farmers. The CM also advised officials to prominently display the hiring charges for farm tools at RBKs.
The officials told the CM that as part of farm mechanisation at assembly constituency level in the state, a total of 3,250 community hiring centres were set up in the first phase. Some 3,250 more such centres would be ready in the second phase, by September.
“We shall set up 4,250 such centres by December, taking the total number to 10,750, besides setting up 1,035 combined harvesters and 175 hubs at a cost of Rs 2,134 crore,” the officials said.
They informed the CM that 15 types of basic amenities like dry storage, drying platforms, godowns, primary processing centres, e-marking facilities etc would be provided to farmers at a cost of Rs 2,930 crore.
The officials said seed-cum-millet processing units are being set up at 33 places in the state with one unit for each parliamentary constituency. At present, land was being identified for the purpose. This apart, under Jagananna Pala Velluva programme, automatic milk collection units and bulk milk cooling centres would be set up at a cost of Rs 4,190 crore.
The Chief Minister said the government would release financial aid under the YSR Asara in September. “We want women to be financially self-reliant,” he said and advised officials to give cows and sheep to women who need them.
The officials estimated that it would cost Rs 3,997 crore to set up fish and shrimp processing units, per-processing units, fishing harbours, fish land centres and aqua hubs in the state. The plan is to set up 10 fish and shrimp processing units, 23 per-processing units and 100 aqua hubs by the end of September, 2022.
The CM asked officials to develop requisite infrastructure at fish landing centres. Of the eight fishing harbours, works were in progress at four, officials said and promised the CM that work would be taken up for the remaining four soon.
The CM said the government is providing remunerative prices to fruits and tobacco products for the benefit of farmers and added that, so far, Rs 6,200 crore was spent, with an exception for paddy and cotton.
