Eye on unemployment in agriculture and allied sectors, Punjab to set up advisory council

CHANDIGARH: Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today announced setting up of a State Advisory Council for Agriculture Skills to prepare a comprehensive time-bound action plan for imparting skills to the unemployed youth in the agriculture and allied sector.

Besides, the Council will be promoting the existing farm practices on scientific and modern lines.

In a meeting with a high-powered delegation of Agriculture Skill Council of India (ASCI) led by Chairman Sanjeev Asthana here, the CM emphasised that skill upgradation is the need of the hour and the state is all set to extend support and cooperation to implement the skill development programme.

He even gave the go-ahead to farm mechanisation company John Deere to set up a Centre of Excellence (COE) in affordable farm mechanisation to encourage farmers to adopt the latest practices to enhance their yield, both quantitatively and qualitatively.

Badal asked ASCI to explore the feasibility of promoting fishery, apiary, piggery, goatery (small remnants), besides mushroom cultivation through a structured approach.

He gave in-principle approval to ASCI to set up its regional office in Kheti Bhawan at SAS Nagar (Mohali) for better co-ordination and asked the Chairman to prepare a blueprint for skill development, given Punjab's peculiar nature of agrarian economy and socio-economic conditions of the local peasantry.

Asthana, on his part, briefly outlined the vision and mission of the Council and spoke about the possibility of a 'Punjab Model' getting replicated at the national level.