Staff shortage handicaps horticulture mission's progress in K'taka

The state horticulture department is facing a severe shortage of staff at various levels which may hamper the smooth implementation of the National Horticulture Mission (NHM) project in the state. Over 50 per cent of the posts, starting from gardeners to senior assistant directors, are lying vacant in the department.

Under this mission it is proposed to take up integrated development of various horticulture crops such as fruits, vegetables, spice crops, floriculture and provide micro-irrigation facilities to all the horticulture crops.

According to sources, 149 posts of senior assistant directors are vacant against the sanctioned strength of 206 across the state. Out of 185 sanctioned posts of assistant director, 82 are vacant. Out of the 476 posts of assistant horticulture officers, 181 are lying vacant. The department needs 929 horticulture assistants, but 190 posts are vacant. At the lowest level, the department has a sanctioned strength of 1,940 gardeners, but as many as 563 posts are yet to be filled up, sources said.

"In the absence of such a huge number of officers and support staff, it is very difficult to carry out day-to-day functions in the department. Now that the state is in the process of implementing a National Horticulture Mission project across 15 selected districts, it will be even more difficult to achieve the desired targets," a senior government official told Business Standard.

In order to implement the horticulture mission, the department is presently in the process of outsourcing 45 assistant horticulture directors on a contract basis in the 15 districts identified for the project. Each district will get two officers to assist the deputy directors to carry out the daily work like area inspection and maintenance of records. Apart from this, one officer each will be posted at non-mission districts and three will be deputed at the mission director's office, sources said.

The department is also seeking assistance from non-government organisations and private agencies engaged in the horticulture business. It proposes to hire unemployed agriculture graduates through a selection process which is being advertised. The selected candidates will be paid Rs 9,000 per month on a contract basis. Computer operators will also be recruited for the mission work.

The state has been sanctioned Rs 85 crore out of the Rs 262 crore package to implement the project on a mission mode over three years. It has already received Rs 44.55 crore.

The mission directorate at Bangalore has prepared an action plan and transferred Rs 15 crore among 15 districts where the mission is being undertaken, according to the sources.

The state horticulture department has also received permission from the Union agriculture ministry to extend the project to 15 districts from nine districts identified initially.

The project will now be implemented in Bangalore rural, Kolar, Chitradurga, Hassan, Bijapur, Belgaum, Koppal, Bagalkot, Gulbarga, Mysore, Kodagu, Dakshina Kannada, Uttara Kannada, Udupi and Tumkur.