Rajya Sabha
It is considered essential that the Central and State Plan outlays for agriculture are enhanced to strengthen infrastructure and help capital formation in this sector to achieve higher growth.
The Conference of State Ministers for Agriculture and Allied Sectors was held on 22nd December, 2006 to discuss and obtain their views on the recommendations made by the National Commission on Farmers (NCF) in its Reports including Revised Draft National Policy for Farmers. The States are broadly in agreement with most of the recommendations. The Government has taken necessary action to expedite examination of the Revised Draft National Policy for Farmers and other recommendations. While examining the Reports as well as Revised Draft National Policy for Farmers, it was observed that several initiatives and programmes/schemes launched are already in the line with many of the recommendations of NCF.
Several recommendations/suggestions have been made by the Working Groups set up by the Planning Commission for the Eleventh Five Year Plan, Working Groups of the NDC Sub-Committee on Agriculture and Related issues and National Commission on Farmers. For the first year of the Eleventh Five Year Plan, a number of steps have already been announced in the Budget 2007-08 for improvement of the agriculture sector. These, inter alia, relate to enhancement of farm credit; launching of mission for pulses; implementation of new rainfed area development programmes; restoring of water bodies; training of farmers; strengthening of agricultural extension system; launching of pilot programme for efficient delivery of fertilizer subsidy directly to farmers; and introduction of weather based crop insurance scheme on a pilot basis.
This information was given in the Rajya Sabha today by Shri Sharad Pawar, Minister of Agriculture in a written reply.
MP:CP:rajya(A)16.3.2007
(Release ID :26077)