Poonch, November 24: District Development Commissioner Poonch Vikas Kundal on Sunday visited the Kisan Khidmat Ghar at Jhullas to assess its operational status and interacted with the Krishi Udyami.
Inspecting the activities, the District Development Commissioner emphasized the importance of strengthening farmer-centric facilities in the district. He was accompanied by Chief Agriculture Officer Rakesh Kumar Sharma, Agronomy Specialist Sanjeev Mehta, Sub-Divisional Agriculture Officer, Charanjeet Singh Raina, Subject Matter specialist and other field officers, the visiting
Krishi Udyami Chandan Sharma shared information about the opportunities provided under the government’s initiative of establishing Kisan Khidmat Ghars. He also highlighted challenges such as limited internet connectivity owing to security concerns which hampers the centre’s efficiency.
The Deputy Commissioner assured him of timely intervention for seamless services delivery.
The Chief Agriculture Officer briefed the District Development Commissioner on the functioning of the KKG and highlighted that both the KKGs of the District including Mendhar as second KKG are fully functional with both the Krishi Udhaymis working with zeal and enthusiasm.
He further apprised that input licenses for seeds and fertilizers have already been issued to both the Krishi Udyami, which further will play pivotal role in empowering farmers by providing inputs, advisory services, technical support regarding all schemes of the department including HADP.
It was further informed that the advertisement have already been published and purchase order placed for the procurement of furniture and IT items for the 26 proposed KKGs in the phase II.
The CAO underscored the department’s efforts in promoting modern agricultural practices and diversifying crop cultivation in the region. Additionally, he highlighted the department’s outreach efforts including awareness campaigns to inform farmers about various government schemes and the resources available at the KKGs. He emphasized the importance of these centres outreaching with individual farming centric support.
The DDC directed the concerned officials to ensure that the KKG be fully equipped with all logistics to address farmers’ needs including the timely provision of information on seeds, fertilizers, pesticides and other essential inputs and weather advisory. Furthermore, he instructed officials to intensify awareness campaigns to ensure that all the farmers are well-informed about the schemes and facilities available under the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP).
Later, the DDC inspected the Mushroom Unit established at the Demonstration and Training Centre, DCTC in Jhullas. He commended the Agriculture Department’s initiative to promote mushroom cultivation as a high-value cash crop. He noted that such efforts align with the district’s vision to achieve self-sufficiency in sustainable farming practices and improve farmer incomes. The visit reflects the district administration’s focus on transforming the agricultural landscape in Poonch through robust infrastructure, modern technology and farmer-centric targeted initiatives.