Odisha government has decided to add 62 blocks of 12 districts under the existing Millet Mission.

Last year 30 blocks in 7 districts- Rayagada, Nuapada, Malkangiri, Koraput, Kandhamal, Kalahandi and Gajpati were taken up under the Millet Mission and subsequently extended to 25 blocks of four districts – Sundergarh, Mayurbhanj, Bolangir and Gajam.

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On Wednesday, the coverage was further extended to another 62 blocks of seven districts. Chief Secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi over a video conferencing with the concerned Collectors emphasizing on the mission, He noted that that millet cultivation while adding to nutritional security would result in enhancement of the farmers’ income significantly.

He directed the collectors to finalize the action plan and register the millet farmers for field demonstration activities. Development Commissioner R Balakrishnan advised to identify in advance the storage and procurement points for millets in concerned districts.

Principal Secretary Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment Saurav Garg appraised that Farmer’s Interaction and Advisory Centers (FIACs) have been operationalized at all block and GP levels involving the field level officers of 6 departments.

The VLAW has been directed to make himself available on a specific day in GP office to interact with farmers and resolve the issues on the spot. The block level FIACs must meet each fortnight to discuss the issues forwarded by the VLAWs and farmers and resolve those at their level.

The issues requiring higher level intervention should immediately be communicated to proper quarter accordingly.

The provisions and compliances of contingent matters like pre-positioning of fertilizers and seeds, enrolment of farmers for crop insurance, special emphasis on enrolment of non-loanee farmers, strict vigil to monitor pest situation, vigil over any crop damage and taking ameliorator measures, timely dissemination of crop advisories etc were also reviewed in the meeting.