Jaipur: Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar
on Saturday said there was a need to bring together the centre`s
rural employment guarantee scheme MGNREGA and farmers in such
a way that it helps the farm sector and increases production.
Pawar also advocated that farmers get adequate prices for
their crops.
"MGNREGA is a good scheme to help poor people and
labourers, but we will have to think that how we can bring
together farmers and MGNREGA because after implementation of
the scheme, there is lack of labourers to work in farms,"
Pawar said at a national-level function to felicitate farmers
for innovation.
Pawar suggested that MGNREGA workers may be asked to work
at farms during the sowing and harvesting periods.
"MGNREGA is a good scheme to help poor people and
labourers, but we will have to think that how we can bring
together farmers and MGNREGA because after implementation of
the scheme, there is lack of labourers to work in farms,"
Pawar said at a national-level function to felicitate farmers
for innovation.
Pawar suggested that MGNREGA workers may be asked to work
at farms during the sowing and harvesting periods.
The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee
Act (MGNREGA) aims at guaranteeing 100 days of wage-employment
in a financial year to a rural household whose members
volunteer to do unskilled manual work.
Pawar asked Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot to
submit the state government`s suggestions for bringing the
jobs scheme and the farmers together in a more productive way.
Pawar also called for adequate prices to farmers.
"Farmers demand that they be given high prices for their
crops in view of rising prices of pesticides, fuel etc. The
government will have to work for relief from inflation, but
at the same time it will be unfair if we do not give farmers
adequate prices for their crops," he said.
Goa Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, Rajasthan agriculture
minister Harjiram Burdak were among others present at the
function in which 28 farmers of 18 states were honoured
for their innovations at national level.
Over 400 farmers of the state were honoured at the state,
district and Panchayat levels for their notable contribution
in the agriculture sector.
The function was organised jointly by the Rajasthan
government and CITA (Centre for International Trade in
Agriculture and agro-based industries).
Gehlot, meanwhile, underlined the importance of water
management and use of drip irrigation in the desert state of
Rajasthan.
He said that number of dark zones of underground water in
the state are rising, deteriorating the quality of water and
it was time for proper water management, with community
support.
Gehlot said the state government has transferred five
subjects to Panchayti Raj Institutions to empower them and
agriculture was one of the subjects.
PTI
