Thursday, April 28, 2011

Agriculture 'cabinet' for farm sector in Bihar

Note:Bihar's Agriculture 'cabinet' ought to take note of what the Prime Minister assured a delegation of farmers on 8, 2011 saying, "every year, before the budget, the government will bring out a report on the state of Indian agriculture". The delegation raised a number of issues, including remunerative prices for farm produce, amendment to the Land Acquisition Act, 4 per cent rate of interest for loans other than crop loan, effective implementation of the Minimum Support Price mechanism, due consideration of sensitivities about GM crops, protecting the interests of Indian farmers while engaging with WTO, FTA, etc., health insurance for farmers, ensuring farmers' interests while framing the Seed Bill and separate budget for agriculture.

These issues are relevant for Bihar as well because the state government has approved hazardous asbestos plants in Bihiya and Giddha in Bhojpur and at several other places like Madhubani, Champaran, Vaishali and Muzaffarpur instead of promoting farm based industries.

Prime Minister has announced that he will convene a joint meeting with the Finance Minister and the Agriculture Minister to have an in-depth discussion on the various issues raised. It would appropriate if a farmers delegation from Bihar is also present the meeting.

Gopal Krishna

Agriculture 'cabinet' for farm sector in Bihar

Bihar has become the first state in the country to constitute an agriculture 'cabinet' with an aim to improve the agrarian sector and address the plight of the farmers.

The new 'cabinet' is headed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and will have in it ministers of 18 departments including water resources, irrigation, energy, rural works, sugarcane industry, animal husbandry and disaster management.

'Agriculture sector is one way or another dependent on all these departments,' an official said.

The chief minister's agriculture advisor Mangal Rai, former director general Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR), is a special invitee to this cabinet. The first meeting of the agriculture cabinet is to take place Tuesday.

'All these departments will work with a single goal to develop the agriculture sector,' the official said.

'It is not only a big news for the millions of farmers of Bihar, but beginning of turnaround for agriculture sector. This will help the state to achieve second green revolution,' state Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh told IANS.

Singh said the Bihar government has given highest priority to the agriculture sector and increased its budgetary allocation from Rs.25 crore to almost Rs.844 crore in 2011-12.

The news of a cabinet exclusively for the agriculture sector was cheered by the farmers.

'It appears that the Bihar government is turning its attention to agriculture sector,' Mahavir Mahto, a farmer near Patna, said.

In the last five years, Nitish Kumar has repeatedly said that he wants to have one or two agriculture product from the state on the plate of every Indian in the coming years.

The state government chalked out a roadmap for the agriculture sector in 2008.

'Several steps, including promotion of modern techniques of farming, organic farming, use of improved seeds among others, have been taken in last two-three years but it is still a long way to go in developing the agriculture sector,' an official of agriculture department said.

Atul Singh, an economist researcher in New Delhi-based Jawaharlal Nehru University, said that Bihar's agriculture growth instead of going up has shown declining trend.

'It is a hard fact revealed by the government's own economic survey,' Singh said.

According to the official data, against the national productivity average of 2 tonnes of rice per hectare, the state's rice productivity is about 1.5 tonnes per hectare.

In case of wheat, the state's productivity is 2.2 tonnes per hectare against the national average of 2.7 tonnes.

The state government holds repeated droughts and floods responsible for this poor production.

The state government admits on its official website that agriculture is the key to the overall development of the state economy.

Agriculture is the backbone of Bihar's economy, 81 percent of workforce, and generation of nearly 42 percent of the state domestic product, it says.

'Barring maize and pulses, productivity of various farm produce in Bihar is much below the national average. Though the area under cultivation is shrinking, there is tremendous scope for income generation, by improving productivity. Adverse climatic condition, like draught and floods, do play a role in decreasing products,' the official website says.

IANS

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

सत्ता छोड़, सत्ता छोड़, सत्ता छोड़

सत्ता छोड़, सत्ता छोड़ ,सत्ता छोड़ ,सत्ता छोड़ ......
मंहगाई जी सत्ता छोड़ ,जम्हाई जी सत्ता छोड़
बतपुतली जी सत्ता छोड़ ,कठपुतली जी सत्ता छोड़
सत्ता छोड़ ,सत्ता छोड़ ,सत्ता छोड़ ,सत्ता छोड़ .......I
लोभन सिंह जी सत्ता छोड़ ,परलोभन सिंह छोड़
भदमोहन सिंह सत्ता छोड़ ,पदमोहन सिंह सत्ता छोड़
सत्ता छोड़ ,सत्ता छोड़ ,सत्ता छोड़ ,सत्ता छोड़ ......I
कठमोहन सिंह सत्ता छोड़ ,भट्ठमोहन सिंह सत्ता छोड़
ठगमोहन सिंह सत्ता छोड़ ,हठमोहन सिंह सत्ता छोड़
सत्ता छोड़ ,सत्ता छोड़ ,सत्ता छोड़ ,सत्ता छोड़ ......


***पुष्पराज ***(भारत के गांवों से हजारों युवा सत्ता छोड़ ,सत्ता छोड़ ,सत्ता छोड़ ,सत्ता छोड़ ......का शोर करते हुए लाल किला की प्राचीर से किसी को खीच कर समंदर में फेंकने के लिए आगे निकाल चुके हें.ग्रामेर मानुष के के ग्रामगर्भ से यह स्वर उभर रहा है साथी .......)