Hyderabad: Telangana state and Andhra Pradesh are among the top 10 farmer friendly states in the country, according to NITI Aayog's Index on reforms in the farm sector, released on Monday.
NITI Aayog or the National Institution for Transforming India is the premier policy ‘think tank’ of the Government of India. Maharashtra secured the first rank, Andhra Pradesh came seventh and Telangana, eighth.
Twenty out of 29 states, including West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Assam, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu and J&K, have done poorly with regard to agri-sector reforms, according to NITI Aayog’s official statement.
Madhya Pradesh is ranked fourth, followed by Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Telan-gana, Goa and Chhattisgarh.
This is the first time NITI Aayog has prepared the Agriculture Marketing and Farmer Friendly Reforms Index based on initiatives taken by the states in implementing farm sector reforms.
The index is aimed at helping states identify and address problems in the farm sector, such as low growth, low farm income and agrarian distress. The areas identified for action by NITI Aayog to double farm income include agriculture market reforms, land lease reform, and reforms related to forestry on private land.
“A detailed study of the reforms in various states and Union Territories show that reforms have remained patchy, partial, sporadic and implemented in very diluted form,” the statement added.
