Ranchi: Governor C.P. Radhakrishnan said NABARD’s initiatives like supporting self-help groups and promoting entrepreneurship among women in rural areas have not only improved livelihood but also brought about social transformation. He said all the 24 districts of the state by road in the past, he interacted with the villagers, there the women of the self-help group present in the program, after joining the self-help group, their Socio-Economic situation has improved. Therefore, NABARD needs to be more active and dedicated to help such women.
He said when he was a Member of Parliament, many roads and bridges were constructed by him with the help of NABARD, which made the connectivity of the village to the city easier, resulting in rapid development of the villages there. Governor was addressing the program organized at Audrey House on the 42nd Foundation Day of NABARD on Wednesday.
Governor Radhakrishnan said NABARD also needs to focus on various initiatives like skill development training and entrepreneurship development programs in the direction of employment and livelihood. He said Jharkhand is a state with rich culture and the people here have knowledge of arts and crafts in various fields. NABARD should play an active role in promoting their crafts and making them available in the market. He said For the past several years, NABARD has been a source of inspiration for farmers, rural entrepreneurs across our country. It is a matter of pleasure that NABARD has promoted sustainable and innovative agriculture. Farmers have been encouraged for climate friendly agriculture as well as water conservation.
Mentioning the problem of irrigation in the state, he said during the tour of different districts of the state, people informed me about the problem of irrigation for agriculture work during the dialogue. The problem was more serious in areas like Palamu and Garhwa districts. It is absolutely necessary to have an irrigation system for agricultural work. The government has many schemes in this direction. But to solve this problem, a well-known organization like NABARD should also take steps on a large scale.
The Governor said many remarkable initiatives have been taken by the Prime Minister to increase the income of the farmers. He said the year 2023 has been declared as the International Millet Year by the United Nations. Millets can play an important role in empowering farmers. It ensures food and nutritional security due to its high nutrient content. In this perspective, NABARD should encourage our farmers to cultivate coarse grains.
Governor Radhakrishnan said nowadays it is being seen that the prices of tomatoes have increased in the market, similarly sometimes the prices of onions are also seen to increase, while the farmers do not get much benefit.
In this direction, he asked NABARD to take active initiative in setting up cold storage facilities in rural areas. The Governor inspected various stalls set up by NABARD.