JAMMU: Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Thursday said the Union territory is witnessing a new rural economic revolution which had never happened in the past seven decades.
He said his administration is planning to establish 800 new dairy units, besides establishing 26 mobile veterinary clinics this year. Attending the first-ever ”Vishal Pashudhan Vyapar Mela” at Sports Stadium at Hiranagar in Kathua district, Sinha said the structural changes and consolidation of different programmes for farm and non-farm population in the rural areas are nothing short of a revolution for rural J&K. “The UT has also redefined the agriculture and horticulture business in the country with expanded operations and strong supply chain system, which had never happened in the last 70 years,” he said.
Sinha welcomed the farmers from other states to the mega livestock trade fair, the first-of-its-kind event in the UT which would provide a major fillip to the animal husbandry sector with an additional source of income to the farmers. It is an effort on part of the government towards providing a single platform for sale and purchase of high-quality livestock breeds that would strengthen J&K”s dairy sector, besides exploiting the full potential of J&K in milk, fodder and mutton production, Sinha said. He added that it will help cut down imports and bridge the demand and supply gap in the poultry sector, and generate employment by attracting new entrepreneurs.
Terming the agriculture sector as the backbone of J&K”s economy, Sinha said the government is making resolute efforts to develop this huge growth potential sector to double the income of the farmers and the other stakeholders involved in the agriculture and allied sectors. Sinha said the government has made reformative interventions to bring a revolution in the agriculture sector, the record production registered in agriculture, and horticulture is the result of this change. “The efforts of the last one year have put J&K on the map of big agriculture and horticulture powers,” he said. In an effort to cut down imports and bridge the demand-supply gap in dairy and poultry sectors, double the income of farmers, and generate employment, he said the government has launched the Integrated Dairy Development Scheme.
“Under this scheme, financial support is provided in the shape of 50 per cent subsidy for the establishment of dairy units… “This year, the government plans to establish 800 new dairy units, by induction of more than 4,000 animals, and other milk processing units. This will enhance the milk production significantly,” the lieutenant governor said. Under the Integrated Poultry Development Program 2021-22, Sinha said a significant financial support would be provided for the establishment of new commercial broiler farms. “This year, the department targets to encourage new entrepreneurs to establish more than 500 new commercial broiler farms and other units to enhance poultry production,” he added.
He said the government also plans to establish 26 mobile veterinary clinics this year for providing veterinary care services in remote and inaccessible areas. Sinha also reiterated that his government is committed to improving power infrastructure in the UT. “Power transmission and distribution system is being improved substantially. Despite our efforts, some areas in Jammu division remained affected during the last couple of months due to outages but the gaps have been identified,” he said.
In order to provide uninterrupted and reliable power supply to all, he said the government is introducing strict and innovative measures to meet various challenges in fulfilling energy needs of the people in future.
