Kolkata, June 28 -- State Agriculture minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay on Saturday asked his district department officials in Jhargram to hold meetings every three months with public representatives in the district to ensure that the tribals are not left out from the benefits of Krishak Bandhu scheme. Chattopadhyay held a review meeting with his department officials at the circuit house in Jhargram to take stock of the ongoing agriculture activities in the district. According to sources, state Forest minister Birbaha Hansda, the elected MLA from Jhargram, raised concerns about certain ground-level administrative issues affecting tribal communities. She urged for closer coordination between public representatives and the Agriculture Department to ensure effective delivery of benefits to the tribals.
In response, Chattopadhyay directed his department officials to hold meetings with all elected representatives once every three months. According to the Chattopadhyay, the district has performed well in the production of paddy and has surpassed the target set in the cultivation of mustard. The cultivation of pulses in the district, however, has been not so satisfactory. The minister has asked his department's officials to plug the gaps so that the production improves. Farm mechanisation-a project envisioned by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-has worked well in the district with the Custom Hiring Centres (CHCs) as well as the Farm Mechanisation Bank (FNB) finding a lot of takers. Chattopadhyay said that work under the Matir Sristi scheme and the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) scheme has also been impressive in the district.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.