Special gram sabhas held in 190 VPs; inputs received from 39 p’yats
Panaji: The drafting committee for the Goa State Amritkal Agriculture Policy, 2024, led by its chairman, scientist Dr. Nandkumar Kamat, presented the policy to the Minister for Agriculture, and the chairman of the government committee reconstituted 2023 to finalise the policy, Ravi Naik.
Naik said that, as per administrative norms, the policy document will be presented before the cabinet. Subject to its approval, it will be notified, becoming a public document available in Konkani and Marathi.
Describing the unique process adopted for formulating the policy, he said the initiative to prepare it was taken by former Chief Minister, the late Manohar Parrikar, who first constituted the committee on August 9, 2012, under ex-MP advocate Narendra Sawaikar.
Sawaikar resigned after being elected to the Lok Sabha on April 3, 2014.
Following a hiatus, the Minister reconstituted the committee on May 24, 2023, involving stakeholders and experts to ensure a farmer-centric and participative policy-making process. Public suggestions were invited on July 14, 2023, with the deadline extended until September 17, 2023. The committee was granted an extension until March 31, 2024, to conclude the process.
The drafting committee stated that it had adopted a completely decentralised approach, allowing extensive public participation.
The Minister facilitated special gram sabhas in 190 village panchayats, receiving suggestions from 39 panchayats. Several suggestions were received and considered by five subcommittees comprising experts.
Following international and national guidelines, the subcommittees identified 36 core areas for incorporation into the policy document, totaling approximately 150 pages.
This marks the successful conclusion of a policy-making process suspended until 2014. The designation of the Goa State Agriculture Policy as the Goa State Amritkal Agriculture Policy, 2024, is a strategic initiative aligning with the vision of Amritkal, aiming towards India’s centenary of Independence in 2047.
The government committee convened in the presence of its member secretary, director of agriculture (DOA), Nevil Alphonso.
The members of the drafting committee present included the principal of Goa College of Agriculture, Dr. Suresh Kunkalikar; advocate Yatish Naik; ex-minister Prakash S. Velip; Shrirang Jambhale; ex-director of agriculture, Satish Tendulkar; and member secretary of the drafting committee and deputy director of agriculture, Rena Menezes.