Bihar gets Rs. 97.87 for food security

In conformity to the action plan for implementation of National Food Security Mission (NFSM), the Centre has allocated Rs. 97.87 crore to Bihar for raising the productivity of major crops like rice, wheat and pulses as the first installment of financial assistance during the current fiscal.

According to a letter from the Union agriculture ministry, the Centre has approved an outlay of Rs. 25.83 crore for rice production, Rs. 47.44 for wheat and Rs. 17.15 crore for pulse. Besides, separate allocations have been made for promotion of crops production under the local initiative of the state.

Under the local initiative, the focus should be on water harvesting structures for promotion of SRI and providing irrigation for rice and water and water charges for two protective irrigations to the farmers/groups given mobile sprinklers for pulses. The state government has been asked to submit monthly progress report about physical and financial achievements to the Union ministry on a regular basis.

The NFSM has approved financial assistance upto Rs. 7,500 per hectare, Rs. 2,000 per quintal on purchase of hybrid seeds, upto R1.50 lakh on farm tools, Rs. 10,000 per pump set, etc, for production of rice. Similar allocations with different values have been made for wheat and pulses.

The Centre has approved allocation of Rs. 1,800 as financial assistance to various states selected to raise the production of rice, wheat, pulses and coarse cereals to 25 million tonnes by end of 12th five year plan, ending 2017. Uttar Pradesh has received the maximum allocation of Rs. 276.91 crore, followed by Madhya Pradesh (Rs. 226.87 crore) and Maharashtra (Rs. 196.01 crore).

State agriculture minister Narendra Singh, however, cried foul over poor allocation and alleged that the Centre has approved an insufficient amount and that too quite late. 

We are facing drought conditions. In keeping with it, we were expecting more assistance from the Centre. Yet, we are committed to unroll the state roadmap for agriculture worth Rs. 1.50 lakh crore,he said.