State Agri dept to introduce mobile-based online classes

Kolkata: The COVID pandemic which has inflicted disaster across all sectors has hampered students also and in its fight against this crisis the state Agriculture department has taken an initiative to introduce mobile-based online classes to provide a regular update on development in the sector when all courses have come to a standstill for more than a month due to the lockdown.

The State Agriculture Marketing and Extension Training Institute of the state Agriculture department that looks after all training programmes related to agriculture wrote to Krishi Vigyan Kendras, Agriculture Training Centres and Midnapore Soil Conservation Training Centre to start the process of setting up an infrastructure to introduce the same.

A senior official of the department said that initially mobile-based online classes will be introduced for those who undergo long term courses. Once the "new system" will be in place, the same will be introduced for short term courses as well. Since the target beneficiaries of these courses are mainly farmers, registered fertiliser and pesticide sellers and it is considered that all didn't have a computer set up at their residences, the endeavour is to develop a system so that they can easily access the course material and instruction in this connection using their smart mobile phones that are available with all at present.

Diploma in Agriculture Extension Services for Input Dealer (DAESI) is a one-year long course and the online classes will be introduced first for those who are undergoing it. Around 1,600 people undertake the course on an average every year. "The course is basically for registered fertiliser dealers. It is crucial to keep them updated or else they would not be able to know the quantity and type of fertilisers needed for which crop. It ultimately helps farmers," the official said, adding that besides existing fertiliser shop owners, those who will set up new shops can also be part of the course.

Mobile-based online classes for short term courses including that of week-long courses will also be started. The same process will also be used to provide training on studies related to the soil as well. Course materials will be prepared following suggestions from KVKs, ATCs and other centres those conduct the training programmes at the grassroots level.

Steps have also been taken to prepare the course material for online classes in the vernacular and local language of a region as well.