Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 11 Nov: Agriculture and Horticulture Minister Ganesh Joshi today held a meeting with departmental officers at the Horticulture Council Hall, Circuit House, Garhi Cantt, and directed them to ensure early disposal of all pending cases related to the Agriculture and Horticulture Departments.
During the meeting, Minister Joshi instructed that pending payments to farmers under the Mission Apple and Ultra High-Density Apple Plantation Scheme be released at the earliest. He directed that physical verification of the concerned farmers be completed within two days and the process for pending payments finalised immediately. He also ordered prompt payment to A-grade and B-grade apple growers in the disaster-affected Uttarkashi district.
Expressing displeasure over delays in polyhouse construction, the Minister instructed officials to complete all construction work within the stipulated time frame. The meeting also discussed the proposal that, instead of agencies, farmers themselves should carry out the polyhouse construction, with the government providing subsidies directly through DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer).
The Minister further directed officials to initiate the recruitment process for 415 posts of gardeners in government gardens and nurseries across all districts at the earliest. He also emphasised accelerating the progress of the JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) Project.
Minister Joshi instructed the officers to promote the Dragon Fruit Policy, Kiwi Policy, and Millet Policy up to the block level, and to revive 93 government gardens across the state, including the Chaubattia Garden. Highlighting the immense potential for horti-tourism and floriculture in Uttarakhand, he said that work in these areas should be actively pursued. He gave strict directions to the officers to ensure speedy resolution of all pending departmental matters.
Those present at the meeting included Director General, Agriculture, Vandana Singh, Additional Secretary (Agriculture) Anand Srivastava, Director, Agriculture, Parmaram, Joint Director, Agriculture, Dinesh Kumar, Additional Director, Horticulture, Ratan Kumar, Director, Horticulture Mission, Mahendra Pal, and other officers.
