New Delhi: The Centre on Sunday said it is yet to receive a proposal from Tripura to link the state with the electronic-national agriculture market (e-NAM) and asked it to take steps in this regard. “No proposal has been received by the Government of India from the Government of Tripura to link with the E-NAM so far,” Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said. e-NAM is a pan India electronic portal for sale and purchase of agri-produce in an efficient and transparent manner.
Singh also said the government was committed to provide at least one Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) in each district the country. The minister was speaking during the inauguration of the new Krishi Vigyan Kendra 7 (KVKs), West Tripura.
The second green revolution will have to come from the eastern region of the country and to realise it, the north-eastern states will have to be brought under the national mainstream for the equitable agricultural development in this region, he said.
On this occasion, the minister said the government has sanctioned seven KVKs for the state of Tripura of which 5 are already functional and 6 KVKs will become operational in the state and one more will also be operational soon. In addition, the site selection committee is also visiting the state for the selection of site for the eighth KVK. With this, all the districts in the state shall have a KVK each.
Singh said he is confident that the KVKs will equip the farmers of the state with the desired skills and build their capacities through on-farm testing and demonstration of the new technologies developed by Agricultural Scientists. The total number of KVKs in the country has now gone up to 668, from 637 about 2.5 years ago, of which 78 KVKs are functional in the north-eastern states.
For strengthening the KVKs, the staff strength of the KVKs has also been increased from 16 to 22. He said the KVKs are playing a pioneering role in the area of front-line extension in extending various agricultural technologies amongst farming community and the state line departments.
During the past one year, the KVKs have organised a total of 48,983 training programmes through which 13.21 lakh farmers and extension personnel have benefited. He also said the government is committed towards doubling the farmers’ income in the next five years. (PTI)
