The Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Parshottam Rupala today announced an Aqua Park for J&K and assured all possible support in upscaling the livestock production, establishment of Modern Fish Market and creating more livelihood avenues for the local farmers and pastoralists in the Union Territory.
He, along with Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha inaugurated the two-day Technology Exhibition-cum-Seed Mela at SKUAST Kashmir, today. The event witnessed the inauguration of various works and programmes including SKUAST Kashmir’s commercial Silage Unit, Krishi Radio and Rural Internship – Student Rural Exploration programme of J&K Government under HADP (Holistic Agriculture Development Program).
Of late, the UT government has taken certain steps in consonance with the available resources, opportunities, technological interventions and desirable targets to give boost to agriculture, horticulture, sheep and animal husbandry and fisheries sectors. While the government has been formulating policies vis-à-vis these sectors, it is the effective implementation of these programmes that will revolutionize these sectors and generate employment opportunities for young farmers and other stakeholders. Prime Minister, Narendra Modi has repeatedly been saying that a sustained focus on modernized agriculture, animal husbandry, and food processing has every potential to make the country self-sufficient and will reduce the dependence on imports. Agriculture and related sectors are the back bone of India’s economy and its modernization is key to India’s becoming a global leader. Unfortunately, these sectors were always neglected and left to traditional way of farming without any scientific intervention. Lack of modern technology did huge damage to these sectors and as a result, people started drifting away from farming. The youth lost interest as the sectors were not able to ensure proper livelihood. Now that the union government is pitching for giving a boost to the sector and introduce modern technologies, hopefully these sectors will become profitable and thus attractive for the youth who alone can revolutionize the sector by using modern and scientific technologies.
As rightly pointed out by the LG, in the context of Jammu & Kashmir, Agriculture including livestock, and fisheries sectors hold even greater significance. Together, they contribute a staggering 51% to our State Gross Domestic Product (SGDP), underscoring their pivotal role in our economic prosperity. With its diverse climate, fertile lands, and abundant water resources, our region is ideally suited for agricultural development, particularly in livestock rearing and fisheries activities.
It goes without saying that the launch of the Krishi Radio for the farming community is undoubtedly going to boost these sectors significantly as the communication has emerged as the most effective power in recent years.
However, the UT government should also ensure to extend the benefits of insurance scheme to livestock sector. Though the LG has assured that effective implementation of PM Fasal Bima Yojana and saturation of Kisan Credit Card is being ensured and by June this year, tap water connectivity will reach every household in J&K, he has to ensure that his administration, on the ground, makes every effort to do the needful.
