THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The State is getting ready for another annual Budget but there are a dozen agriculture-related schemes of previous years yet to be implemented.
An RTI query filed by DC revealed that the Central and State schemes like National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (NAIS), the national project on organic farming, promotion and strengthening of agricultural mechanisation, seed infrastructure and farmers’ welfare fund board remained on paper.
The reply from the deputy director of agriculture (planning) says six projects announced in the State budget during the first year of the UDF Government (2011-12), notably the NAIS, Kuttanad and Idukki packages and agricultural extension programmes at Kerala Agricultural University, are to be implemented.
No action was taken on farmers’ welfare fund board and pilot scheme on income support (2012-14) and the new scheme to set up automatic weather station, farmers welfare fund board, pilot scheme on income support and agricultural mechanization (2013-14).
An agriculture department official told DC that the NAIS was one of the flagship projects that would have helped the State to deal with the flood and drought situations by providing compensation packages to the affected farmers.
Regarding the KAU agricultural extension project, a KAU official confirmed to DC that the project is vast and varied, but fund utilization never happened as the State Government never transferred funds.
“By not implementing the projects, it is affecting only the farmers. The pilot scheme on income support was meant for making farmers self-sufficient.
Promotion and strengthening of agricultural mechanism were meant for providing tractors, tillers and harvesting machines to farmers which has also not been implemented,” a department official told DC.
When DC put forth the question before top agriculture department officials on the current status of the Kuttanad and Idukki packages, they were unable to give a convincing reply.
But P. Ajay of Kottayam Nature Society told DC that few months ago, local MP Kodikunnil Suresh had lamented about the Kuttanad package’s tenure being over.
“But now posters and banners congratulating Prime Minister Narendra Modi have come up in some areas of Kuttanad saying the package has been extended.
Earlier granite bund was being done which was systematic, but now pile and slab system is being initiated. Unfortunately ecological restoration has never been done in Kuttanad,” said Mr. Ajay.
