Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh today said the initiatives taken in the agriculture sector would ensure that adequate technological and other interventions increase the productivity and augment the economic profile of the farming community.

The Deputy Chief Minister was speaking after inaugurating a programme organized by Sericulture Development Department (SDD), J&K in collaboration with Central Silk Board, Govt of India, in connection with the “Celebration of Dr B R Ambedkar’s birth anniversary and launching of Scheduled Caste (SC) sub-plan for Sericulture farmers.

The SC beneficiaries, on this occasion, interacted with   the Union Minister for Textiles, Ms Smriti Zubin Irani and Union Minister of State for Textiles through video conferencing. Sericulture framers and dignitaries from different states like Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh were also present during the interaction. These farmers have been identified as beneficiaries for the implementation of a flagship scheme of Govt of India for the empowerment of SC sericulture farmers.

MLA, Chenani Dina Nath Bhagat, Financial Commissioner, Agriculture Production Department, Pramod Kumar Jain, Director Agriculture, Jammu A K Malhotra, Director Sericulture, Joint Director Central Silk Board Jammu and Additional Director, Sericulture Jammu along with scientists of central silk board and other officers from sericulture Development Department, Jammu were present on the occasion.

Expressing gratitude to the Union Govt especially the Central Silk Board for selecting J&K as one of the State for SC sericulture farmer centric project implementation, the Deputy Chief Minister said that Central Silk Board and Sericulture Dev Department of J&K should continue with such interventions as Sericulture has huge potential for employment generation in rural areas of the state.

“Farming community need to take the aid of the modern technology in order to make the farming and related practices simpler and thereby increase their productivity”, maintained the Deputy Chief Minister. He said that Prime Minister has also undertaken the initiatives to introduce newer technologies in the Agriculture sector, which would ensure that the agricultural produce gets increased and thereby resulting in uplift of the economic activities of the farming community.

Speaking on the occasion MLA, Chenani Dina Nath Bhagat thanked the Central Govt, Central Silk Board and Sericulture Department for selecting Ghordi block for implementation of the project. He emphasized that the department should implement this project in a way so that weaker sections of the society could be benefited and improvement could be ensured in their socio-economic life.

Financial Commissioner, Agriculture Production Department, Pramod Kumar Jain while speaking on the occasion expressed his happiness for selecting J&K as venue for the video conference and said this shows the importance being given by Central Govt for the development of sericulture in our state. He said the sericulture has huge scope for employment generation provided all the schemes and projects are implemented in scientifically as chain of management activities are involved for the successful cocoon crop.

Director Agriculture, Jammu, Director and Addl. Director Sericulture, Joint Director Central silk Board Jammu, Scientist from CSB also expressed their views during the occasion.

Earlier, Deputy CM offered floral tributes to the architect of Constitution of India and Bharat Ratna Dr B R Ambedkar and on his 126th birthday and said honoring weaker sections of the society is the best possible tribute to one of the greatest sons of India on his birthday.

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