SHILLONG: In a diatribe against the state government, the Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Radha Mohan Singh has alleged that the ruling dispensation in the state has failed to utilise the funds earmarked for irrigation to protect the interests of farmers.
Addressing the inaugural function of the four-day Regional Agriculture Fair (RAF) themed “Drive to doubling income of Tribal Farmers in North East India” at ICAR on Saturday, Singh lamented that Rs 1.4 crore was given to Meghalaya for the water irrigation programme in 2015-16 which remains largely unutilised.
“Out of the total sum Rs 32 lakh was left unutilised in 2016-17,” he said.
Urging the Meghalaya government to speed up expenditures under central government schemes, Singh said the state government received more than Rs 2 crore in 2017-18, but as per reports not a single paise has been utilised.
He remarked that though 90 per cent of the funds are accorded by the Centre, the state has failed to utilise the money to lift the lot of agriculturalists.
“The state sovernment should expedite work to implement the different schemes launched for the benefit of farmers, but somewhere there is a peculiar stinginess on the part of the government,” Singh remarked, adding that more than 2 lakh soil health cards have been distributed in Meghalaya.
In the same breath he appreciated the ICAR Research complex for NEH Region, Umiam for leading basic, strategic and applied research specific to the farming problems of the region and lauded ICAR’s efforts in launching a programme to double the income of farmers in a few villages within the next five years.
The minister added a political twist to the tale by slamming the Congress government in the state while lavishing praise on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. While a dynasty ruled India since independence, he asserted, it was indeed a remarkable feat for Modi, the son of a poor man, to rise up the ranks and become the Prime Minister of the country.
The central government, he said, is investing in every sector in the region and development projects have picked up pace in Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Assam.
There was a glitch, however. Many farmers present at the programme could not understand the minister’s speech as he spoke in pure Hindi.
The RAF will focus on finding ways and solutions to sustain income security in the traditional form of agriculture and initiate a movement to double income of farmers in the N-E region. It is held with the objective of creating an opportunity for various stakeholders at the regional level to exchange ideas and experiences for effective transfer of technology.
