RAJ KUMAR
Ranchi, May 19: The Jharkhand government today demanded Rs 9682 crore from the union government for drought relief.
State agriculture and animal husbandry and co-operative minister Badal Patralekh accompanied by his department secretary Abu Bakar Siddique raised the department during a meeting with Union agriculture and welfare secretary Manoj Ahuja at Krishi Bhawan in New Delhi.
The Jharkhand minister said that due to less rainfall and less crop cover in the year 2022 Kharif season, 226 blocks of 22 districts of the state had been declared drought-hit and the amount is required to give assistance to farmers.
On the occasion, the state minister also discussed steps for establishment of soil testing lab, generation of revolving fund for ATMA and increasing incentives.
The union agriculture secretary responded positively to Badal’s proposal and instructed his departmental officials to extend all support to Jharkhand.
Union agriculture secretary Ahuja during the discussion also asked the Jharkhand minister to identify 500 high schools for soil testing. He said that the union government will make arrangements for a soil testing lab explaining how it will benefit the state.
“Students will be trained, so that they can bring the soil of their own land and that of other farmers, get it tested in the lab and tell the farmers what the soil is like at that place and which grains can be grown there. This would be a good experiment and you should prepare a project for it and send it to us. The Government of India has arranged a portal for seed tracking, it should be implemented soon in Jharkhand as well to ensure that the right seeds can be distributed in the market,” he said.
