Over 1 lakh farmers from 1,000 panchayats attend orientation programme in J&K

Jammu, May 18 (PTI) At least 1.10 lakh farmers from 1,000 panchayats of Jammu and Kahsmir took part in the orientation programme which has been organised in four rounds to create awareness about various agricultural schemes of the government, officials said.

The ‘Kisan Sampark Abhiyan’ has been rolled out under the Holistic Agriculture Development Plan (HADP) with 29 proposed projects with an outlay of Rs 5,012 crore to be implemented in the next five years.

The latest round, conducted from May 15 to May 17, saw a remarkable turnout. The programme has covered 1,097 panchayats thus far.

Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha also joined the campaign, visiting Dooru panchayat in Anantnag district and Hardpanzoo panchayat in Budgam district.

“Over 1.10 lakh farmers have participated in the orientation programme in 1,000 panchayats held over four rounds in Jammu and Kashmir. The latest round, conducted from May 15 to May 17, saw a remarkable turnout. The programme has covered 1,097 panchayats thus far,” said Atal Dulloo, additional chief secretary (ACS), Agriculture Production Department.

He said that the ongoing “abhiyan”, organized by the agriculture production department, aims to reach every farmer in every panchayat of the UT within four months.

“The ambitious exercise, part of the HADP, has received approval from the Union Territory government. The programme operates simultaneously across all districts, with designated days for orientations.

“Trained officers and officials act as resource persons, using short films and videos to explain various initiatives. Farmers are provided brochures in multiple languages and have the opportunity to participate in Q&A sessions to address their concerns,” he said.

Simultaneously, a baseline survey and skill gap study of farmers are being conducted, capturing data using IT tools.

Farmers have also been introduced to Daksh Kisan, a learning management system offering 121 skill-building courses, officials said.

The system is tailored to the agro-climatic zones of J&K, allowing farmers to register for free and acquire new skills, they said.

The courses include modules on business management and financial/credit linkages, transforming farmers into skilled entrepreneurs. Successful completion of the skilling course grants certificates, they added.

Furthermore, the Kisan Sathi IT dashboard has been utilised to inform farmers about the application process for various schemes, they said.

Through the portal, farmers can register and apply for schemes. Over 1,100 applications have already been received through the portal and are currently being processed, they said.