Principal Secretary Agriculture reviews budget of Agri Universities & allied departments

Srinagar: In a budget review meeting of Agricultural universities and allied departments held today Principal Secretary Agriculture Production & Farmer’s Welfare department, Navin Kumar Choudhary directed the concerned to raise infrastructure having good use for carrying out academic and allied activities beneficial for students and farmers.
The meeting was attended by Vice Chancellor SKUAST, Kashmir, Professor Nazir Ahmad; Director Agriculture, Kashmir, Altaf Aijaz Andrabi; Director Finance, Agriculture, Imtiyaz Ahmad Wani and many other officers from the concerned departments.
Vice Chancellor SKUAST, Jammu, Dr JP Sharma; Director Agriculture, Jammu, InderJeet and other officers participated through a video link from Jammu.
The Principal Secretary asked that to fetch greater funding the officers should also look into the provision of their components of budget proposals for funding under the centrally sponsored schemes. He urged them to use these schemes optimally as many of them are broad based and can accommodate much of their requirements.
Navin also advised the departments to utilize money in right pursuits so that the infrastructure created or activities carried out are genuinely beneficial for proposed target populace. He asked them to apply their wisdom while creating the infrastructure as constructions should be accompanied with its optimum utilization.
The Principal Secretary suggested to VCs of both the Agricultural Universities to construct the proposed girls hostels at spots that are safe for girls as it is of paramount importance. He asked them to carry out research that proves beneficial for the farmers and advice them about the beneficial practices and provide them tools that would enhance their income exponentially. He said, “the labs of our universities should be development centers for our farms”.
On the occasion he also directed the Directors of Agriculture of both the divisions to produce agricultural implements necessary for farmers to ease out their farming activities. He asked them to achieve the target of providing 250 tractors each to farmers in both the divisions.
He also directed them to give threshers to each panchayat for threshing the commonly cultivated crops like rice, wheat and maize here. He stressed on giving them on first come first serve basis. He also advised the directors to enhance liaison with each other so that they share the techniques and expertise with each other for the general good of J&K’s people.
The Principal Secretary was informed that under the current Capex and revex budget the SKUAST Kashmir has the budget outlay of Rs1798.73 crore while SKUAST Jammu has an outlay of Rs1775.15 crore. Both the universities have made registered expenditure of more than 50% in physical targets.
The meeting was further informed that budget estimates for 2020-21 for Agriculture Jammu were about Rs 362.95 crore, Agriculture Kashmir 320.67 crore, Sericulture J&KRs100.43 crore, Command Area Development, Jammu Rs29.18 crore, Command Area Development, Kashmir 7.29 crore, Kisan Advisory Board 1.92 crores.
Besides these more than Rs 41 crore was released under NABARD to above universities and departments for the purpose of extending research and promote allied agricultural activities for the welfare of farmers.