Create Rs 5,000 cr consortium to set up Kisan call centres: Assocham

New Delhi, July 21 (UNI) Industry body Assocham today suggested the creation of a consortium of Rs 5,000 crore, to set up chains of Kisan Call Centres (KCCs) and establish linkages among farmers, villages and within the country.

The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ASSOCHAM) said the consortium should be set up by the State Financial Corporations, NBFCs and States Cooperatives under State Bank of India.

The Paper on Kisan Call Centres, 'Proliferation of IT Revolution to Masses' brought out by the Chamber, says that the suggested KCCs will better harness the state-of-art knowledge in the field of agriculture, horticulture and fisheries to bring the farmers, the fishermen and other artisans, higher yields for their produce and advanced technology to save their crops from being damaged.

KCCs should be used as effective tools to disseminate information among farmers and agriculture workers for adoption of advanced technoogies to incur them higher returns for their produce with putting in place effective mechanism for delivery, the paper said.

Assocham President Anil K Agarwal, while releasing the Paper here said, the setting up of KCCs on a larger scale would need the creation of a consortium to help fund the financial requirement for those who want to operate on them at various locations spread all over the country.

The financial institutions should work in close collaboration with district and local administration for providing land, telecom linkages, assured power supplies and other necessary accessories in the suggested call centres for their linkages across the country.

Mr Agarwal added that the proposed centres should be established in all headquarters of the district with the help of Panchayati Raj institutions, the number of which is currently estimated at 6 lakh.

The KCCs would not only benefit the farmers for their agricultural extension services, but would also benefit fishermen, which constitute 80 per cent of the masses of India.

The Chamber Paper, which would be submitted to the Ministry of Agriculture, Panchayati Raj and all state governments by Mr Agarwal, however adds that the KCCs would best harness knowledge in the field of agriculture and related areas and deliver them through technologies available for the dissemination of such knowledge, to solve grass-roots problems.

These would also provide an IT enabled dynamic encyclopedia for use by farmers, agriculture extension works, agri-input dealers and other stakeholders in agriculture and develop a database, which compiles and collates the actual needs of farmers.

In addition, the suggested KCCs would also establish a network of relationship among the scientists, policy makers, extension workers, farmers and other stake holders, besides harnessing the traditional knowledge systems available with the farming community.

The KCCs would provide direct support from the Department of Agriculture&Cooperation (DAC), Government of India, to every farmer in the country, and will open up the employment opportunities for graduates with a degree in agriculture.

UNI RA PV HT1852