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| Prof Chaman Lal, Tarigami raise issue in Assembly | | Govt committed to absorb agriculture technocrats: Mir | | Kunal Shrivatsa
JAMMU, Mar 16: Reiterating the State Government's commitment to absorb the agitating Agriculture Technocrats in government service, the Minister of Agriculture Ghulam Hassan Mir today said on the floor of the House that a process is on to meet their demand and they would be accommodated in the department accordingly.
The Minister said this while responding to the discussion on the grants of Agriculture department in the State Legislative Assembly this afternoon,
"We have formulated a policy for the absorption of agriculture technocrats… .. The policy document was sent to planning department and later to finance department which is going through it…. As and when they give the approval, these technocrats would be absorbed in the department", Mir said.
Interrupting the Agriculture Minister, BJP stalwart and Leader of the BJP Legislature Party, Prof Chaman Lal Gupta asserted, "The issue of Agriculture technocrats must be resolved without further delay as it involves the future of 4000 families … Please don't make it a prestige issue."
CPI (M) leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami also supported Prof Chaman Lal's assertion and demanded that government should intervene to prevail upon the agitating technocrats to lift their dharna.
Replying to the legislators' demand, Ghulam Hassan Mir said that government has taken a number of steps to end the deadlock.
"Representatives of these agitating technocrats called on me in my office chamber and even met the Chief Minister, who informed them that a policy is being formulated….. Today I announced their absorption in the department on the floor of the House… What else can I do…… I fail to understand why they are still protesting", he said.
Referring to the steps undertaken to stop the conversion of Agriculture land for commercial purposes, the Minister informed the House that the Government is concerned over the issue and intending to move a Bill to prevent the further loss of agriculture land.
Calling upon the members to extend their whole hearted support to the government's initiative, the Minister said that the government seeks your cooperation to stop the conversion of Agriculture land for commercial use.
"The Government is committed to save the agriculture land and in this direction a Cabinet Sub-Committee was constituted last year…. Law Minister, Revenue Minister and I were the members of the committee. Now, we are bringing a legislation and you have to ensure its passage", Mir said.
Accepting that there are flaws within the department which has affected its smooth functioning, Mir said that one such issue was the preparation of the seniority list.
"When I took over there was no seniority list in the department which was creating a lot of problems….. A list was prepared under order no 279 which further aggravated the problems as some people moved the Court which stayed it. Later another list was also stayed…. Under these circumstances how could I be made responsible for the shortcomings in the department," he said.
Mir said that in order to streamline the agriculture sector, members should shun the politics of regions and think of the whole state.
He said that it is for the first time in the history of the State that before the budget presentation, the Finance Minister talked to the farmers, which was done never before and only traders were called to hold pre-budget meetings".
Giving details of the upcoming projects in the pipeline, Ghulam Hassan Mir informed the House that the Agriculture Department in collaboration with Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is going to install Automatic Weather Stations (AWS) in all the 22 districts of the State.
The Minister said AWS will help in providing weather based data to the farming community which would enable them to fight the vagaries of the weather.
Mir said that the coalition government has succeeded for approving ambitious National Mission for the rejuvenation of Saffron cultivation in the state with an investment of Rs 372.18 crore. He said it will help the saffron farmers to double the productivity and production in the state in next four years.
Similarly, the Government succeeded to give export status to famous Basmati rice of RS Pura belt of Jammu.
He said, a project worth Rs 540.35 crore has been submitted to the Central Government to improve the quality, productivity and production of indigenous varieties of Basmati. |
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