Seeking to usher in a Green revolution in the Eastern region, including Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's home state West Bengal, the Union Budget today announced an additional Rs 400 crore for the purpose.
To realise the potential of the Eastern Region, last year’s initiative would be continued in 2011-12 as well, Mukherjee said.
He announced a further allocation of Rs 400 crore for the region for the purpose.
The programme would target improvement in the rice-based cropping system of Assam, West Bengal, Orissa, Bihar, Jharkhand, Eastern Uttar Pradesh and Chattisgarh, he said in the Budget tabled in Lok Sabha.
Coincidently, Mukherjee's home state West Bengal is likely to go to polls in May.
The Eastern Region remained largely untouched by the Green revolution of 70s which had brought farm revolution mainly in Northern states of Punjab and Haryana.
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The Union Budget 2010-11 had earlier allocated additional Rs 400 crore under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) for extending Green revolution to the Eastern Region.
Green revolution envisages adoption of new seed varieties, farm machines, nutrients, pesticides and knowledge based intervention as developed for different agro climatic zones.
In order to implement the initiative, a preliminary meeting was held with State Agriculture secretaries/Directors of Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, UP and West Bengal on 18th March, 2010 during the National Kharif Conference at New Delhi.
A background note has also been prepared based on the report of the working group of sub-committee of National Development Council on Agriculture & related issues on region/crop specific productivity analysis and agro-climatic zones chaired by Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
It suggested agro-ecological zone wise strategy for agriculture development in states.