CMKSY
A still from the event. Photo Credit - Northeast Now

The Department of Agriculture launched the Chief Minister’s Sashakt Kisan Yojana (CMKSY), Chief Minister’s Krishi Samuh Yojana (CMKSY) and its web portal at the Banquet Hall in Naharlagun on Monday.

Gracing the occasion as the chief guest, the Agriculture Minister Dr Mohesh Chai said as farmers are dependent on agriculture, the Government is trying its best to help them in increasing their production and income. “Therefore, for transforming the State’s farm economy, the Finance Minister in his budget speech for 2018-19, announced a number of new initiatives. Two major initiatives to be implemented as per Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of doubling farmers’ income by 2022 commemorating 75 years of India’s Independence are CMSKY and CMKSY involving all allied departments under the District Agricultural Development Society responsible for planning and implementation of farmer-oriented development schemes under administrative control and supervision of Agriculture Development Society at State level,” he said.

The minister further said that the Government is coming out with many policies for the enhancement of farmers’ income. One such important policy is marketing linkage which will give the farmers a whole new way of increasing their income and the other two equally important steps are scientific ways of farming and integrated way of farming.

“Arunachal Pradesh produces around 4,500 metric tonnes of fish per year, whereas the requirement is about 15,000 MT. We have a ready market for fish products, which are required to be exploited by the farmers in the State,” he said.

Empowering the farmers through cooperative approach, by institutionalisation of farmers products, organisation and infusing timely support of good agriculture practice and marketing interventions for better price realisation, mobilising farmers into groups so as to plan and implement product-specific cluster/ commercial crop cycles, commercial approach in agriculture and allied sector, infusing mindset of privatisation amongst the farmer are few objectives to ensure enhancement of farm income, Chai added.

The minister, while talking about the new approach in boosting the agriculture sector, said that his department is working on ‘agro-tourism’ that can provide financial backing to the farmer and the State. Earlier, the Agriculture Secretary Mimum Tayeng highlighted the significance of CMSKY and CMKSY. The former will subsume three State flagship programmes – CM’s Employment Generation Scheme, CM’s Agri-Mechanisation Programme and CM’s Flagship Programme on Tea and Rubber.

“This is the approach of decentralised planning by involving all stakeholders at the field level in planning, execution and implementation in order to derive best benefits of the public sector investment for inclusive growth of farm sector in the State,” he said.

The CMKSY aims at empowering the farmers through a cooperative approach, by providing timely support and marketing interventions of the Government for better price realisation and doubling farmers’ income, the secretary explained.

A book on CMSKY and CMKSY and website portal (www.agri.arunachal.gov.in) was launched by Dr Chai on the occasion. Also Krishi Card, a unique ID card, was distributed to six registered farmers.

Damien Lepcha is Northeast Now Correspondent in Arunachal Pradesh. He can be reached at: [email protected]