State pushes for efficient benefit delivery, execution of govt projects
Kolkata: In a concerted effort to invigorate the sericulture sector and support the farmers dedicated to it, the state Agriculture Ministry has mandated district officials to guarantee the effective delivery of state government benefits to those engaged in sericulture.
Emphasising the timely execution of government projects, Agriculture minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay recently convened a high-level meeting. This meeting, held under the guidance of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, with the cooperation of the sericulture directorate commissioner, Deepika Sanyamat, included the participation of Agriculture department’s secretary Onkar Singh Meena, as well as senior sector officials and district representatives.
Chattopadhyay, in the meeting, reiterated the importance of ensuring state benefits reach sericulture farmers and other stakeholders promptly.
He stressed the need for the proper utilisation of lands dedicated to sericulture and highlighted the significance of focusing on seed production.
Special emphasis was placed on involving local farmers from various regions of North Bengal to enhance seed production and boost the sericulture industry.
The sericulture sector has witnessed massive development with a series of initiatives taken up by the Mamata Banerjee government in the past 10 years, besides bringing the Sericulture Directorate under the aegis of the state Agriculture department. The Bengal government has fulfilled the promise to increase the annual financial assistance of farmers under the Krishak Bandhu scheme to Rs 10,000. The state government had initiated the creation of a database of 1.29 lakh cultivators, reelers and entrepreneurs from the sericulture sector to help them get financial assistance through the Direct Benefit of Transfer (DBT).
Being the only state in the country to produce raw material for all four silk variants — Mulberry, Tasar, Eri and Muga — Bengal shares a good percentage of the raw material that gets imported to different parts of the country and even abroad.
