By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR: While 261 joined as Assistant Agriculture Officers, 102 joined as Assistant Agriculture Engineers. 43 officials also joined the Odisha State Seeds Corporation, a total of 406 officers on Tuesday joined the state government in the Agriculture & Farmers Empowerment Department.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik graced the Nijukti Parba function, which was organized at the state convention centre in Lok Seva Bhawan here.
The Chief Minister said this large appointment in one go will provide a big boost to the department.
He said that agriculture and allied sector is a top priority of his government. The government has been striving to continuously enhance the income of farmers, and empower them. We have come a long way from being a food-deficit state to becoming a net supplier of food by contributing to the nation’s public distribution system. Production of various crops has grown multiple times. A number of schemes are in place to support farming activity and diversification of products, he added.
He further said that schemes like KALIA and BALARAM have created a sense of confidence and trust among farmers. Besides, there is a renewed focus on Farm Mechanization for enhancing productivity and facilitating judicious use of our scarce natural resources. Under Mukhya Mantri Krushi Udyog Yojana, we are promoting local youth to take up entrepreneurship in the farm sector in a big way.
The Odisha State Seeds Corporation has a critical role in providing quality seeds to farmers. The department should ensure that farmers get quality seeds at the right time, he advised.
Welcoming the young recruits, he said that they will make significant contributions to our farm sector in the next three decades. The new officers have the requisite knowledge, skill and expertise to serve the farmers. He advised them to follow the 5T Principles and contribute to the transformation of the farm sector. All your actions should be directed at the empowerment of farmers, he said with inspiring notes.
Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment Minister Ranendra Pratap Swain outlined the key initiatives and achievements of his department. He advised the officers to ensure that the benefits of the schemes directly reach the farmers.
Chief Secretary PK Jena that continuous focus on agriculture has helped reduce rural poverty in the state in a significant way.
Three officers Brian Digal, Liza Das and Swapna sramana Tripathy shared their experiences and said the recruitment process was absolutely transparent. They committed themselves to work in the spirit of 5T initiative.
Principal Secretary Arabinda Padhi gave the introductory address and Director of Agriculture Premchand Choudhury proposed the vote of thanks.
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