Imphal : Minister for Agriculture, Oinam Lukhoi Singh said recognitions will encourage the farmers to increase their production in a specialised manner under the supervision of officials.
In this way, the agriculture sector and farmers will become self-reliant and contribute to the economy of the state, the Minister said.
He further mentioned that with the advancement of technology and specialised skills in the agriculture sectors, there will be a massive improvement in the production of agricultural products and also its allied sectors.
Citing the various proposals submitted by the officials of the ATMA scheme, he stated that since the government is always committed to the welfare of the people, innovative ideas and proposals will be taken into consideration.
He handed over various awards in different categories under Agricultural Technology Management Agency (ATMA) scheme today at Farmers’ Training Hall, Directorate of Agriculture, Sanjenthong.
Altogether, 45 numbers of Awards were handed over to the awardees. The category of the awards distributed was Best State Level Farmers award, Best District level Farmers award, Best ATMA District, Award for Incentive for Exemplary Extension Work, Best ATMA Stall in the MAI-OWN Exhibition, 2021, Outstanding Award for Distinguishing Service to Farmers’ and Incentive Award for seven new districts participated in the SAF, 2021.
The total cash award of Rs. 10, 30,000 were transferred to awardees through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) by Minister, O. Lukhoi Singh during the occasion.
The Best State and District Level Farmers were selected based on the success story submitted by the Concerned Project Director ATMA Districts. Best ATMA Districts were also selected based on the activities/works done in all the agriculture & allied sectors as per ATMA guidelines. The Award for Incentive for Exemplary Extension Work was selected based on the performance among the ATMA Extension Functionaries during the year to bridge the gap of lab and land.Director, Agriculture, Laltanpuii Vanchhong informed me that the State Agricultural Management Extension and Training Institute (SAMETI-Manipur) has been organizing the State Agriculture Fair since 2008. This year, the State Agricultural Fair, 2021 was organized by the SAMETI- Manipur as a part of MAI-OWN Exhibition, 2021 from 16th to 22nd March 2021 at Imphal.
The main objectives of the Fair are to disseminate the latest Technology, showcase the innovative activities and products etc., she added.
Support to State Extension Programme for Extension Reforms known as ATMA Scheme is a continuous Centrally Sponsored Scheme implemented in the state since 2005-06 and it covers 9 Districts and 60 blocks.