Commissioner Secy Forest reviews progress of climate resilient agriculture projects in JK

SRINAGAR, JULY 20: Commissioner Secretary Forest, Environment & Ecology, Saurabh Bhagat (CEO, Climate Change Cell) today chaired the meeting to review the progress achieved in J&K with regard to the implementation of project namely ‘Climate Resilient Sustainable Agriculture in Rain-Fed areas' of Jammu and Kashmir.

The project is under implementation in the water-stressed in rainfed areas of Bhalwal block of Jammu district and Surysyar block of Budgam district through Agriculture Production Department as an executing entity.

The meeting was attended by Director, Ecology, Environment & Remote Sensing (Nodal Officer, State Climate Change Cell), Om Prakash Sharma, Director Agriculture Kashmir, Syed Altaf A Andrabi, Director Agriculture Jammu, H. P. Razdan, Chief General Manager, NABARD, P. Balachandran, Dy. General Manager NABARD, DDM, NABARD, Chief Agr. Officer, Budgam, Astt. Director (Planning) FEED, Coordinator, State Climate Change Cell, Zulfikar Ahmad, Nodal Officer Climate Change Project Block Budgam, APD and Officer In-charge, Coordination and Documentation Cell, APD.

The Commissioner Secretary informed about the plans of submitting few more projects for funding to National Adaption of Fund on Climate Change and in this regard the progress achieved in implementing the first project viz. ‘Climate Resilient Sustainable Agriculture in Rainfed areas of Jammu and Kashmir’ is obligatory and the funding of 2nd project depends on the achievements of 1st Project.

          The representatives of APD explained the progress achieved so far and informed the chair that the project has yielded excellent results viz-a-via interventions made from climate change point of view. The areas were interventions have been made have become suitable for three-crops instead of one crop as was the scenario before implementation of the project, they added.

The physical and financial progress was discussed threadbare. The delay in establishment of Soil Testing Laboratory in Jammu came under discussion and it was informed that due to the unavailability of land, the lab could not be established. The Commissioner Secretary suggested to find the alternate land within 15 days or may also explore the feasibility of establishing mobile soil testing labs. The Agriculture Production Department should bring up a report on the results achieved under the project as success story, he added. 

The Commissioner Secretary desired that the Annual Plan of Action be modified and actions detrimental to the Climate Change be removed. He further added that the benefit of the bore wells should not be given to particular individual instead should strictly; benefit the villages at community level. He stressed on baseline survey, third party monitoring and geo-tagging of the assets created in the areas of intervention be made compulsory. The NABARD authorities were asked to share the monitoring and evaluation reports with Coordinator, State Climate Change Cell.

The Director, Ecology Environment and Remote Sensing suggested inclusion of traditional crop varieties in the intervention areas. The project is sanctioned for an amount of Rs 22.5 crore and Rs 11.25 crore already parked with NABARD.

The Commissioner Secretary impressed upon the executing agency to keep the Climate Change Cell appraised and updated with the progress of project at all stages.