The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Horticulture Department to fill 1,776 posts

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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Horticulture Department to fill 1,776 posts

Special Correspondent

Subsidy sought for farmers taking up horticulture

Department seeks an allocation of Rs. 206 crore for 2008-09
Output of horticultural produce in the State last year was 130.26 lakh tonnes

Bangalore: Horticulture Minister S.K. Bellubbi said here on Friday said that his department had sought permission to fill 1,776 posts, which have remained vacant for years.

He told presspersons that he had sought the concurrence of the Cabinet to frame the cadre and recruitment rules and start recruitment for the posts so that the Department could extend its services to farmers involved in horticulture.

The Minister said that 130.26 lakh tonnes of fruits, flowers, vegetables and spices, herbs, shrubs and other horticulture crops were produced during 2006-07 spread over 17.25 lakh hectares of land and Karnataka had been acclaimed as the number one State in horticulture activity.

Mr. Bellubbi said that he had requested Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa to grant Rs. 206 crore for 2008-09 as against Rs. 176 crore sanctioned last financial year for the Department.

The Minister said that Mr. Yeddyurappa had directed him to rejuvenate the Department and provide all services to the farmers and reduce their sufferings and so that no farmer commits suicide. The Horticulture Department had asked the Chief Minister to give more subsidy to farmers, taking up horticulture.

Subsidy

Under the National Horticulture Mission’s drip irrigation scheme, farmers were given 100 per cent subsidy in Kolar, Bijapur and Chickballapur districts and 75 per cent in other districts. The scheme would be extended to other districts, he said. The State Cabinet had decided to withdraw the HOPCOMS from the Cooperation Department to provide quality vegetables and fruits to the customers.

Asked about exploitation of farmers by the Horticulture Department employees while giving subsidy amount, the Minister warned of stern action against such employees. He urged the farmers to lodge written complaint either with him or with senior officers, so that it would be easy to punish the culprits.

Horticulture mission

Mr. Bellubbi said that districts such as Raichur, Gulbarga, Gadag, Haveri, Mandya and Koppal, where horticulture had not developed, would be included in the mission and he was writing to the NHM in the next few months. He said that the subsidy would be increased to 50 per cent from 25 per cent to private persons for setting up cold storages.

He said that government would get the Bill for establishing the State’s first Horticulture University at Bagalkot passed in the legislature. He said that the Government was waiting till July 31 for objections to the draft notification on the wine policy. If there was no objection, grape growers would get a lot of demand from wine manufacturers.

Orissa Minister for Agriculture and Horticulture Surendra Nath Naik and Orissa Director of Horticulture J.D. Sharma, who are on a study of the horticultural practices in the State, were present. Mr. Naik would be visiting the 46-acre State Horticultural Farm at Hulimavu where crops are grown in a controlled climate with organic manure.

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