Latest news with #NREGS
Hans India
2 days ago
- Business
- Hans India
Govt keen on promoting farm mechanisation
Nellore: Scarcity agriculture labourers when the farm operations are picking up is giving impetus to farm mechanisation in the district. Shortage of labourers, apparently due to majority of them taking up works under National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) is forcing more farmers to adopt farm machinery. According to sources, around five lakh farmers in the district have taken up paddy cultivation in about five lakh acres during the monsoon season. Famers observe that thousands of labourers migrated to other States as house construction workers, coupled with introduction of NREGS, lack of laborers has become a huge problem as majority of them are preferring to take up works under the job scheme than working in the fields. To overcome this problem, the State government is proposed to sanction nine varieties of instruments like rotators, cultivators, mould board ploughs, seed-cum-fertiliser drills mini tractors, inter cultivators, plant protectors etc. These instruments would be provided under cultivation budget, Rastriya Vikas Yojana, at 70 percent subsidy. Apart from this, 50 percent subsidy would be provided by the Central government while 20 per cent will be provided by the State government. As part of this initiative, district Collector O Anand has distributed 142 types of various farm instruments worth Rs 6.8 crore under farm mechanisation scheme at a programme at Acharya NG Ranga Agriculture University and Agriculture Research Station (ARS) in Muthukuru Road in the city on Thursday. Speaking on the occasion, Collector Anand has said the aim of the government in encouraging farm mechanisation is to ease the farmers from the burden of labour and securing better profits with less investments. District Agriculture Officer P Satyavani has said under these schemes farmers should farm groups to purchase heavy instruments like paddy translators, harvesters, power weeders, brush cutters etc as the government is keen on providing farm instruments at very low cost offering subsidies in a big way.
New Indian Express
11-06-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
Advance Kharif to protect crops: Andhra CM
To improve the income of paddy farmers, Naidu proposed inter-cropping fruits and vegetables on widened bunds of fields. An awareness should be created among farmers about the benefits of wider bunds. NREGS funds can be utilised to build bunds if needed. Aquaculture and horticulture on the peripheries or in between paddy fields need to be experimented, he said. The officials informed him that HD Burley tobacco procurement has begun at Parchur AMC. Alternative crop cultivation is being encouraged in place of HD Burley, they said. Naidu also enquired about the procurement of cocoa and mango. They informed him that three new agriculture-related services have been launched on WhatsApp Governance - Mana Mitra platform. They include crop insurance, agricultural mechanisation, and MARKFED services. Farmers can now access these through WhatsApp. 'We should reduce the use of fertilisers and pesticides to preserve soil fertility. Ensure there is no shortage of fertilisers anywhere. Stay updated with real-time data on fertiliser and pesticide use. Last year, 39 lakh tonnes of fertilisers were used in the State. This year, we should bring that down to 35 lakh tonnes. Pulses and millet cultivation should be increased. Banks should provide loans to farmers within 24 hours of request,' he said. The officials informed that paddy, red gram, groundnut, and cotton are the primary crops in Kharif season.
India Today
10-06-2025
- Business
- India Today
Advance Kharif cycle to shield crops from cyclone: Chandrababu Naidu to officials
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday directed agriculture officials to advance the crop season to safeguard Kharif crops from cyclone damage. During a review meeting at the Undavalli camp office, he was informed that the Agriculture Department has already begun releasing irrigation water to farmlands in the Godavari and Krishna delta is currently reaching West Godavari, Eluru, Konaseema, East Godavari, Kakinada and Krishna districts. Guntur, Bapatla, and Prakasam districts will start receiving irrigation supply in the first week of Kharif crops include paddy, red gram, groundnut and cotton. While groundnut and cotton acreage has dropped, red gram cultivation has risen, and paddy levels remain steady. The Chief Minister noted that Andhra Pradesh has experienced 14 cyclones in the past 20 years - five in October, six in November, and three in December - with October storms especially affecting north coastal regions and East Godavari. To mitigate such risks, he stressed the need to cultivate three crops a instructed officials to prepare for the cultivation of summer crops across five lakh acres next year in north coastal Andhra, Godavari, and Krishna delta regions. In districts like Anantapur, where farmland lies fallow for eight months annually, Chief Minister Naidu urged using that period for additional crops to improve soil fertility and farmer income. Officials have been tasked with preparing 141 mandals for summer farming - 19 with reservoirs, 57 with tanks, and 65 relying on Naidu encouraged promoting fine varieties of paddy and advised widening bunds in paddy fields to support intercropping of fruits and vegetables. He suggested that these bunds could be constructed using NREGS funds. He also promoted aquaculture and horticulture on the periphery of or between paddy plots to boost tobacco procurement, officials said that HD Burley tobacco purchases had begun at the Parchur AMC and that farmers were satisfied. The government is also encouraging a shift to alternative crops. Procurement of cocoa and mango was also new services - crop insurance, agricultural mechanisation, and MARKFED - have been launched on the Mana Mitra WhatsApp platform, giving farmers easier access. The CM directed officials to raise both online and offline awareness about these also called for reduced use of fertilisers and pesticides to protect soil fertility. Last year, 39 lakh metric tonnes of fertilisers were used; this year, the target is 35 lakh metric tonnes. He also emphasised increasing the area under pulses and millets and directed banks to disburse farm loans within 24 hours of request during the Watch
Time of India
10-06-2025
- Climate
- Time of India
Release irrigation water for Krishna, Godavari deltas: CM
1 2 3 Vijayawada: To avoid crop damage due to cyclones, chief minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu directed officials of the agriculture department to advance the Kharif season by releasing irrigation water to the Krishna and Godavari deltas. He held a review meeting with the officials of the agriculture and irrigation departments to assess the preparedness of govt machinery for the upcoming Kharif season. To boost the incomes of paddy farmers, Naidu proposed intercropping fruits and vegetables on the bunds of paddy fields. He urged officials to motivate farmers to widen the bunds in their fields for horticulture crops and asked to integrate the work with NREGS. He also encouraged experimenting with aquaculture and horticulture on the peripheries or in between paddy plots. The officials informed the chief minister that water was already released to farmlands in West Godavari, Eluru, Konaseema, East Godavari, Kakinada, and Krishna districts. They mentioned about planning to supply irrigation water to Guntur, Bapatla, and Prakasam districts in the first week of July. Naidu observed that Andhra Pradesh was hit by 14 cyclones in the last 20 years, of which five hit in October, six in November, and three in December. October cyclones particularly impacted the north coastal region and the East Godavari district. To avoid being affected by cyclones, the crop cycle may be advanced to ensure that the harvest is completed by then, he suggested. With adjustments made through the advancement of the season, the CM suggested exploring the possibilities of adopting a three-crop policy, ensuring that the farmland remains green throughout the year. He instructed the cultivation of summer crops next year on five lakh acres across north coastal AP, Godavari, and Krishna delta regions.
Indian Express
05-06-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
CAG holds horizontal audit of Jal Jeevan Mission, reports soon
The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) is conducting an extensive performance audit of Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), the government's flagship scheme aimed at providing tap water connections to all rural households, The Indian Express has learnt. According to sources, the JJM audit exercise is in an advanced stage and reports are expected soon. The process began about one and a half years ago after the CAG included the subject in its audit plan. It is covering the implementation of the JJM in states from the financial year 2019-20 to 2023-24. The CAG is conducting a horizontal audit of the Mission, through its field offices led by Principal Accountant Generals (PAGs) or Accountants General (AGs), across all states. The fieldwork in most states is over, while in some of the states, the exercise is at the report-writing stage, said a source. Reports of two states have already reached the CAG headquarters, the source said. Once the reports are finalised, they will be tabled in the Legislative Assembly of respective states, said the source. The audit is conducted at state level and not at the national level as the state governments are at the forefront of implementing the JJM. All aspects of JJM implementation, including planning and financial performance, are covered under the audit. The reasons behind cost escalations will also be examined across the states, said a source. According to sources, the CAG picks up a scheme for audit usually after 70-80% expenditure is over. The JJM started in 2019-20. In the initial years, the expenditure was low. Therefore, the CAG selected it for audit after the first phase was completed in 2023-24, said the source. Along with JJM, the CAG is also conducting a horizontal audit of MGNREGS across states and these reports are also expected to be finalised soon. The last time CAG conducted a nation-wide audit of the NREGS was in 2013. This is the first major audit of the JJM since its launch in 2019. The CAG had conducted a performance audit of the National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP) of which a report was presented in 2018. It covered the period from 2012 to 2017. In 2019, the Centre subsumed the NRDWP to launch the JJM. Since then, this is the first audit exercise conducted by the CAG. The Centre has deployed over 100 teams of Central Nodal Officers (CNOs) for 'ground inspection' of the JJM schemes across the country. The move followed a meeting chaired by the Cabinet Secretary on May 8 to review the JJM schemes. Since the launch of the Mission in 2019, around 6.4 lakh water supply schemes with total estimated cost of Rs 8.29 lakh crore — more than double of the scheme's original outlay of Rs 3.6 lakh crore (Centre: Rs 2.08 lakh crore, States:1.52 lakh crore) — have been approved by the states. To meet the additional requirement of funds, the Jal Shakti Ministry had approached the Expenditure Finance Committee, headed by the Expenditure Secretary, to approve Rs 2.79 lakh crore additional Central funding over and above Rs 2.08 lakh crore. However, the EFC recommended only Rs 1.51 lakh crore as the Central share, which is 46% lower than Rs 2.79 lakh crore sought by the Jal Shakti Ministry, as reported by The Indian Express on April 21, 2023. On May 21, The Indian Express reported that an investigation of the data uploaded by states and UTs on the Jal Jeevan Mission dashboard showed that a crucial change in tender guidelines three years ago lifted the check on expenditure, and led to cost escalations. This resulted in additional costs totalling Rs 16,839 crore for 14,586 schemes, an increase of 14.58% from their estimated cost. The sources said the CAG has also initiated a horizontal audit of several other central schemes like Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan, Welfare of Building and other Construction Workers, Green India Mission and Smart City Mission. The JJM audit will be similar to that. Harikishan Sharma, Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express' National Bureau, specializes in reporting on governance, policy, and data. He covers the Prime Minister's Office and pivotal central ministries, such as the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare, Ministry of Cooperation, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Ministry of Rural Development, and Ministry of Jal Shakti. His work primarily revolves around reporting and policy analysis. In addition to this, he authors a weekly column titled "STATE-ISTICALLY SPEAKING," which is prominently featured on The Indian Express website. In this column, he immerses readers in narratives deeply rooted in socio-economic, political, and electoral data, providing insightful perspectives on these critical aspects of governance and society. ... Read More
