Direct all your actions for empowerment of farmers in Odisha: CM to 406 new recruits on joining State Govt

Bhubaneswar: As many as 406 officers today joined the State government in Agriculture & Farmers Empowerment department. While 261 joined as Assistant Agriculture Officers, 102 joined as Assistant Agriculture Engineers. Also, 43 officials joined Odisha State Seeds Corporation.

A Nijukti Parba function was organised at the State Convention Centre in Lok Seva Bhawan in the presence of Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said, “This large appointment in one go will provide a big boost to the department. Agriculture and its allied sectors are a top priority of my 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 increased multiple times. A number of schemes are in place to support farming activity and diversification of products.”

The CM 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 Mechanisation 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. 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, the CM said with inspiring notes, “You will make a significant contribution to our farm sector in the next three decades. You have the requisite knowledge, skill and expertise to serve the farmers. I advise you 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.”

Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment Minister Ranendra Pratap Swain outlined the key initiatives and achievements of his department. He advised the new officers to ensure that the benefits of the schemes directly reach the farmers.

Chief Secretary Pradeep Kumar Jena said that continuous focus on agriculture has helped in reducing rural poverty in the State in a significant way.

Three new officers namely Brian Digal, Liza Das and Swapna Sramana Tripathy sharing their experiences said that the recruitment process was absolutely transparent. They committed themselves to work in the spirit of 5T initiative.

Principal Secretary Arabinda Padhi gave an introductory address and Director of Agriculture Premchand Choudhury proposed the vote of thanks. Chairman of the Odisha State Seeds Corporation Bijay Nayak and Development Commissioner Anu Garg were present among others.