Poonch, April 20: To strengthen the delivery of agricultural services at the grassroots level, District Development Commissioner Poonch Vikas Kundal Sunday inaugurated Kisan Khidmat Ghars (KKGs) established under Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP) in five panchayats of Kanuyian, Dara Dhullian Lower, Bhainch, Sathra and Ajote.
A total of 100 Kisan Khidmat Ghars have been approved for Poonch district under the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme project ‘Innovative Extension in Agriculture Approaches’.
These newly inaugurated centres are poised to serve as vital touch points for the farming community thus bridging the gap between the Agriculture Department and farmers paving further reinforcement of the extension framework in the district. While 2 KKGs at Jhullas (Poonch) and Dhrana (Mendhar) were established in the Phase-I, the remaining 98 are being set up in the Phase-II. The randomly selected 5 KKGs inaugurated today form the part of the second phase. These KKGs will act as one-stop facilitation hubs for the farming community offering timely and seamless delivery of agriculture-related services, including registrations on Kisan Sathi, Daksh Sathi enrolment, e-KYC, soil health advisory, farmer and farm registration, scheme guidance, weather-based advisories, training support etc. Speaking on the occasion, the District Development Commissioner commended the Agriculture Department for successfully operationalizing the Kisan Khidmat Ghars in the far flung and remote panchayats ensuring easy access to vital services for farmers. He underscored that the initiative is not just about service delivery but also for promoting entrepreneurship and creating employment avenues for rural unemployed youth.
He encouraged the Krishi Udyamis to work with dedication and zeal as they serve as the first point of contact for farmers seeking agriculture services. He further instructed to facilitate the issuance of Input Licences of seed, fertilizer and pesticide to them on priority basis. This will enable Krishi Udyamis to operate as authorized input dealers at the doorstep of the farmers thereby promoting agri-based entrepreneurship at the grassroots level. The District Development Commissioner was accompanied by District officers of Agriculture, Horticulture and Allied Departments. Sub Divisional Agriculture officer Poonch and concerned Agriculture Extension Officers were also present during the inauguration.
