Angul: After getting positive feedback in the first phase of the implementation of ‘Mo Sarkar’, a citizen empowerment initiative, the state government is planning to expand its flagship programme to all departments’ including agriculture by December 1, 2019.
The programme was launched in two departments (health and police) in the first phase but in the second phase, it will cover the agricultural department where the state government will impose its 5-T action plan for officers and staff.
Under this programme, agricultural departments in every district will maintain proper coordination with farmers. It will also review the transmission of financial and other assistance to farmers.
The department in Angul has already started pre-seasonal workshops at some parts of the district for farmer empowerment before the implementation of ‘Mo Sarkar’.
Officers of the department are arranging meetings and workshops in various panchayats of the district where farmers’ grievances are being solved. The officers are taking the help of higher authorities if they are unable to solve any problem.
Block-level meeting are also arranged for farmers by the department twice a month.
69 Village Level Workers (VLW) are employed by the department to conduct a survey on farmers’ problems in 225 panchayats of the district. One VLW is engaged for every three to four panchayats.
While distributing duties, the VLWs were instructed to set a particular number of days for each panchayat. The VLWs introduce the farmers with new technology and scientific methods for cultivating crops.
Farmers will be explained about the marketing strategy for promoting different varieties of crops and they will be asked to try different types of crops rather than or get stuck in one type of crop production.
In the meetings, experts and agriculture officials discuss 12 different issues and themes including improving SRR pulses and oilseeds, integration of SHGs in agriculture activities, voluntary and compulsory retirement policies, farm mechanisation and, emerging trends in plant protections, procedure of pest control, farm subsidies, among others.
Workshops are arranged where farmers are educated on which crop will give them more profit if they have irrigation as a major problem.
Assistant Director of District Agricultural Department Vijya Kumar Mohaptra said, we need 123 VLWs while only 69 are available with us. But we will try our best to reach each panchayat in the district.
“Mo Sarkar’ and ‘5T’ are making a huge difference in transforming the state. We should focus on a PPP mode for agricultural development in the district,” added Mohapatra.