States should set up EGoM on agriculture: Sharad Pawar

Kolkata, July 10 (ANI): Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Friday said the States should set up an Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) under the chairmanship of Chief Ministers to cover all aspects of agriculture.

Pawar said Rs 400 crore has been allocated to implement the Green Revolution Plan for the eastern states.

"An amount of Rs.400 crore has been allocated to carry out the plan. Eastern India has a huge untapped potential for intensifying cropping and for increasing crop, particularly for rice maize and pulses crop," said Pawar briefing the media on the workshop on 'The Green Revolution' organised here.

Pawar also emphasized that the Green Revolution can be brought to eastern part of the country, with proper support to hardworking farmers.

"The farmers from this entire belt are ready to work really hard and, if proper guidance and support is provided to them by the respective state government and government of India and the proper price and storage facilities we would provide to them, I think in two to three years time situation will substantially change," he added.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya and Agriculture Ministers of the Eastern Region States also attended the conference.

Speaking on the occasion, Mukherjee said the Central Government will pass a legislation to provide subsidised wheat and rice to the poorer sections of society, adding that its success would depend on strengthening the delivery system and boosting production.

"We are committed to ensure Food Security Act and to make successful, we need to produce more, procure more and strengthen delivery mechanism for making accessible and affordable," said Mukherjee.

Mukherjee further said there would be no scarcity of funds for the agriculture sector especially in the context of strategic initiatives for food security in the country.

Mukherjee had announced a proposal for providing Rs 400 crore under the "Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana" while presenting the 2010 Budget for extending green revolution to the eastern region of the country comprising Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Orissa and West Bengal.

The Green revolution foresees the adoption of new seed varieties, farm machines, nutrients, pesticides and knowledge based intervention as developed for different agro- climatic zones to achieve the objective of increasing productivity and production. (ANI)