VIJAYAWADA: To enable the farming community to achieve higher productivity and get maximum price for the farm produce, the State Government will bring in Integrated Agriculture Networking. The programme, which will come into effect from March 1, will be implemented with the help from the Word Economic Forum (WEF). A decision to this effect was taken at the AP Cabinet meeting held on Wednesday here.
Briefing mediapersons about the decisions of the AP Cabinet, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said as many as 25 commodities and activities in agri and allied fields would be taken up under the project. Pre-harvesting, harvesting and post-harvesting activities along with processing and marketing will be integrated by following the best practices in the world.
“With help of WEF, the best companies in the world will be roped in to help implement the best practices in pre harvest, harvesting, post harvest works, warehousing, cold storage, cold chain networking and marketing the final produce,” he explained. Cabinet has also decided to encourage natural farming on the lines suggested by Subhash Palekar and set up a committee for production of manure from waste material in urban and rural areas
PATTISEEMA BY MARCH 31
The Cabinet also decided to prioritise seven irrigation projects to speedy completion of works. “Pattiseema project will be completed by March 31. To ensure the water reaches the intended area, Polavaram Right Main Canal works will be completed at the earliest,” he said.
He said it was decided to make revised estimates for Handri Neeva Sujala Sravanthi and Galeru Nagari Sujala Sravanthi projects to ensure that the Rayalaseema region is drought free. “We are also taking up rain gauges in a big manner to wet 10 lakh acres. Under the Panta Sanjeevani programme, farm ponds will be constructed,” he said.
BARRAGE DESILTATION
The Chief Minister informed that State Cabinet had decided to take up desiltation at Prakasam and Dowleswaram Barrages for enhancing their water holding capacity. The desilted sand will be used for public works including Amaravati construction, Polavaram project and other projects in Visakhapatnam.
URBAN, RURAL HOUSING POLICY
The Cabinet has also decided to come out with a separate policy for urban and rural housing. Apart from 1.93 lakh houses sanctioned by the Central Government and another 2 lakh houses by the State Government, the Cabinet is planning to have more houses in the coming years.
“Chinese companies have come out with proposals to construct a township using the latest construction technology. It would require 10,000 acres and we are in process of identifying the land,” he said.
The Chief Minister said it was decided to pool up the money under different schemes like 13th and 14th finance commission grants, MGNREGA, Swachh Bharat, NABARD etc for completing the cement roads in the rural areas. The other cabinet decisions include sinking of one lakh borewells in the state under the NTR Jalasiri scheme, completion of 60 lakh Individual Sanitary Latrines in the state in a phased manner, Convergence of funds for social and agriculture projects, completion of Fiber Optic Grid at the earliest and setting up of tower corporation and making all the service provides to use the same towers.
Latest Tech to Identify Arsonists
The government has decided to use electronic and other latest technology for quick identification of arsonists and rioters. According to the Chief Minister, drones with surveillance cameras would be employed to monitor any rally in the future. This will ensure that incidents like the one in Tuni do not recur and that there is no blame-game. Rallies, demonstrations and meeting could be monitored this way, said Naidu.
“The decision was taken to ensure there is transparency, accountability and most of all, the perpetrators of crime do not go scot free,” he said.