A video conference meeting was held on 16th September 2021 in the office chamber of APC, Government of Nagaland under the chairmanship of Vivek Aggarwal, IAS, Additional Secretary (Digital Agriculture), Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare for the project proposal submitted under the National e-Governance plan (NeGPA)/Digital Mission Agriculture (DAM) for 2021-22titled “Soil & Water Resource Management and Meteorological Analysis and Forecasting System Using Remote Sensing, GIS Mapping, Drone and Emerging Technologies” submitted by the Government of Nagaland.
Y. Kikheto Sema, IAS, APC, congratulated the Ministry for the innovative digitals MoU with 5 firms to provide various farmers advisories services launched by the Union Ministry on 15th September 2021. He particularly congratulated Additional Secretary (Digital Agriculture) and team Digital for their commendable services to the farming community. He gave a brief introduction on the proposal being forwarded and thanked the Ministry for sanctioning of setting up of Soil Testing Labs in all districts and mini labs in all 74 blocks.
He also stated that the farmers in the state still practiced a traditional form of agriculture and there is a need to incorporate modern and emerging technologies in order to transform the agriculture sector of the state by adopting settled/permanent agriculture. He highlighted that the rapid change in climatic conditions such as rainfall pattern, temperature etc. is leading to drought like situation and emergence of pests like fall army worms that was never before experienced in the state. Therefore, it has become all the more important for the state to adopt latest emerging technologies so as to mitigate any eventualities by use of technologies such as weather forecasting, various farmers’ advisory services and also by use of drones for quick assessment of the damages for interventions in real time.
The officials of the Department of Soil & Water Conservation and Nagaland GIS and Remote sensing Centre, Government of Nagaland presented the proposal. The Additional Secretary (Digital Agriculture) in principle, agreed with the proposal and invited the State officials from Nagaland to the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare for the finalization of the project proposal.
The meeting was attended by Y. Kikheto Sema, IAS, APC Nagaland, K Zhekheto Awomi, Director and officials of the Department of Soil & Water Conservation and Mhathung Kithan, Project Director, Nagaland GIS and Remote sensing Centre were in attendance besides other supporting officials.
(DIPR)
