State to request Centre to put paddy cultivation under MGNREGS

Mangaluru: Minister for agriculture B C Patil said, “Karnataka will write to the Centre, seeking inclusion of labour for cultivation of paddy, as an activity under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). This move will benefit youths who have come back to rural areas due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This will ensure that the youth are gainfully employed, and agriculture as an activity helps sustain the rural economy.”
Reviewing agriculture operations on Tuesday in Dakshina Kannada district, Patil acceded to a request from Dakshina Kannada MP Nalin Kumar Kateel, to bring agriculture activities under the MGNREGS. Nalin said changes in guidelines will certainly give a fillip to agriculture, and help districts become self-reliant with their requirement of foodgrains and cereals such as rice.
“The finance department has given the go ahead for appointment of 2,236 raitha mitras for the state, and one such raitha mitra will look after two gram panchayats. The department has framed cadre and recruitment rules for their appointment, and 85% of them will be agriculture diploma holders, and the rest, BSc (agriculture) degree holders. They will be an interface between farmers and the department, to help them with their needs, and give them information about various schemes,” he said.
Plans are afoot to provide vehicles to all 742 raitha samparka kendras (RSK) in the state, as against the 40-odd mentioned in this years’ agriculture budget, he said. The RSK officials will reach out to farmers facing specific issues, and their vehicles will also be equipped with mini soil testing equipment, Patil said, adding these steps are being taken in line with chief minister B S Yediyurappa’s vision that farmers do not face any further distress in these times.

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