Bengal bags Krishi Karman Award for 4th consecutive yr

West Bengal has bagged the Krishi Karman Puroskar for the increase in cultivation of food grains and oil seed. 

This is the fourth consecutive year when the state has bagged the award. Recently, the state agriculture department has received a letter from the Centre stating that in 2014-15 fiscal West Bengal will be awarded for its growth in cultivation of food grains. 

At the same time, the award is also for the increase in both production and area of oil seeds cultivation. In addition to the award, the state will get cash reward of Rs 2 crore for its extraordinary improvement in this sector. 

Moreover, two farmers — a male and a female — will be given Rs 2 lakh each for their work in the agriculture sector. 

In the past four years the state has experienced a growth in cultivation of food grains from 1.37 lakh metric tonne to 1.60 lakh metric tonne. The increase has helped the state to top the list among all other states in this particular segment. In oil seed too there was a growth of around 25 to 30 per cent. 

In a bid to bag the award, representatives from the state agriculture department need to give different presentations in Delhi. They also need to demonstrate the methods and process opted to increase the yield. 

The Centre also has its own satellite based mechanism to monitor and accordingly a list containing names of all states gets prepared. Subsequently, based on certain parameters a state, best in a particular sector, is selected. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hand over the award and a delegation comprising agriculture director will go to Delhi to collect the award. The date of the award giving ceremony will be conveyed to the state government soon. 

West Bengal had bagged the award in 2013-14 fiscal for the increase in production of coarse cereals and a sharp rise in production and increase in area of maize cultivation. 

The area of maize cultivation had gone up to 1 lakh hectre from 25,000 hectre. It was a record leaving all states much behind. 

That was the first time the Rs 2 crore cash award was received by the state along with the Krishi Karman Puroshkar. It happened after state Agriculture Minister Purnendu Basu took over the department’s charge. 

In the previous years — 2011-12 and 2012-13 — the state had bagged the award for the increase in cultivation of coarse cereals.

Basu said: “Our target is to bag the award for the increase in total production of food grains and at the same time for the increase in cultivation and area of cultivation of pulses. We expect that there will cultivation of pulses on additional 75,000 hectre of land in the next one year.”