Bhubaneswar, Jan 19: Chief Secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi has advised the State’s Agriculture department to prepare a thematic based budget for the coming financial year with the target of maximizing the outcomes through convergence of various schemes at ground level.
Padhi, chairing a high level meeting at State Secretariat here on Monday further directed to develop a comprehensive crop insurance policy for both the loanee and non-loanee farmers.
He stressed on reducing the time gap for disbursal of compensatory assistance by the insurance companies to the farmers and rationalizing the subsidy and incentive structures to maximize the outcome and enhance the productivity in each of the sectors such as paddy and non-paddy farming, fishery, animal husbandry, horticulture etc. Marketing of the agricultural products also figured in the meeting.
Development Commissioner R Balakrishnan emphasized on development of an institutional structure for convergence of various departments at service delivery level. He also directed the finance department to consolidate the suggestions relating to agricultural sector as put forth by members of the public, civil society, advocacy groups and stakeholders through ‘open budge initiative’ started this year.
The Agriculture Department was asked to do due diligence of these suggestions while preparing the draft budget.
Principal Secretary Water Resources Department Pradeep Kumar Jena presented the issues relating to maximum utilization of the irrigation potential created through various schemes.The meeting decided to develop a comprehensive programme for maximum use of the irrigation water through a convergence approach between agriculture and water resource and cooperation departments.
Notably, State Government started a separate Agriculture Budget from 2013-14 fiscal. Over last three years there has been constant increase in the budgetary allocation in this sector. It has been substantially enhanced from Rs.7,161.87 cr in 2013 to Rs.10,903.61 cr in 2015-16. In the year 2013-14, around 27.26 per cent ( Rs.7161.84 cr in absolute terms) enhanced budgetary provisions were made in the separate agriculture budget in comparison to the agricultural allocations that were made in the general budget year before.
This increased to Rs.8,060.70 cr in the year 2014-15 with an increase of 12.55 per cent. In the third subsequent year in 2014-15 the agriculture budget was further enhanced to Rs.10,903.61 cr with a marked increase of 14.27 per cent.
Principal Secretary Agriculture and Cooperation Manoj Ahuja, Principal Secretary Energy Rajesh Verma, Principal Secretary Water Resources PK Jena, Secretary Fisheries & Animal Husbandry Bishnupada Sethi, Additional Secretary Finance Debendra Kumar Jena , Budget Officer, Finance Satyapriya Ratha, Experts from Nabakrushna Choudhury Institute of Rural Development , OUAT along with senior officers from respective departments participated in the deliberations.
