NAHARLAGUN, Jun 23: Minister for Agriculture and Allied Departments Gabriel D Wangsu called upon officials to ensure full utilisation of allocated funds and deliver tangible benefits to farmers while launching the online service portal for the Atmanirbhar Yojana during the Department of Agriculture’s Annual Chintan Baithak-cum-Review Meeting at Krishi Bhawan in Naharlagun on Tuesday.
The marathon 12-hour review meeting, attended by Agriculture Secretary Samuel Changkija, Agriculture Director Toggul Perme Pertin, Director (Agriculture Marketing) & APAMB CEO Tadak Dabi, District Agriculture Officers (DAOs) from all 27 districts and other senior officials, focused on strengthening governance, improving implementation of schemes and accelerating agricultural development across the state.
Chairing the extensive review, Wangsu assessed the progress of flagship programmes, institutional performance, district-level achievements and challenges, while stressing greater accountability, administrative efficiency and outcome-driven governance.
A key highlight of the meeting was the launch of the Atmanirbhar Yojana Service Portal, a digital platform aimed at streamlining service delivery, improving beneficiary outreach and enhancing transparency in the implementation of agriculture-related schemes. Officials said the portal would facilitate easier access to government services and strengthen digital governance within the sector.
Speaking on the occasion, the Minister emphasized that technology-driven governance would play a critical role in transforming agriculture and ensuring that benefits reach genuine farmers in a timely and transparent manner.
The review also focused on the functioning of Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) across Arunachal Pradesh. Representatives of various KVKs highlighted long-pending administrative and operational challenges affecting their work.
Responding to the concerns, Wangsu assured that the government was actively working to resolve the issues and urged KVK personnel to continue supporting farmers with dedication and commitment.
The future of the State Agricultural Management and Extension Training Institute (SAMETI) at Pasighat came under detailed discussion. Concerns regarding alleged encroachment on institutional land were raised during the meeting. Taking a serious view of the matter, the minister called for strict legal action against encroachers and directed officials to take necessary steps to safeguard the institution’s assets.
Agriculture Secretary Samuel Changkija instructed concerned officers to prepare a comprehensive master plan for the protection and optimal utilisation of SAMETI land to strengthen the institute’s role in agricultural training and extension services.
The meeting also reviewed the progress of the Krishi-Himveer Mission, a collaborative initiative involving the Indian Army and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) aimed at creating market opportunities and strengthening agricultural production in border areas. APAMB CEO Okit Palling stressed the need for greater participation of farmers, Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) under the programme, while the Secretary stressed the need for enhanced departmental support to active grassroots institutions linked with the mission.
Concerns were also raised over the rapid rise in Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs) in the state. Officials noted that more than 250 FPCs have been registered despite Arunachal Pradesh having approximately 1.5 lakh registered farmers. To ensure accountability and sustainability, Wangsu directed the Arunachal Pradesh Agricultural Marketing Board (APAMB) to undertake annual audits and grading of FPCs.
Organic farming and certification systems were another important area of discussion. While deliberations continued on the future of National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) certification, officials explored expanding the Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) certification mechanism for crops destined for domestic markets. APAMB also proposed engaging NABARD-supported agencies for preparing Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) and monitoring value-addition projects.
Digital agriculture emerged as a major theme of the review. Highlighting the significance of the AgriStack initiative, Wangsu said that technologies such as Farmer IDs, Farm Surveys and Crop Surveys would become the foundation of future agricultural governance.
“All future benefits and schemes will increasingly depend on authentic digital farm data,” he said, adding that pilot farm mapping has already been completed in six districts and would be expanded across the state over the current and next year.
The minister appealed to farmers, Panchayati Raj Institutions, Gaon Burahs and community leaders to actively support the farm mapping exercise to ensure wider inclusion under government welfare schemes.
District Agriculture Officers from all 27 districts presented detailed reports on the implementation of central and state-sponsored schemes, highlighting achievements, challenges and best practices from their respective districts.
Commending officials for improved financial performance, Wangsu noted that the department had achieved nearly 62 per cent fund utilisation, a significant improvement compared to previous years when utilisation remained below 50 per cent due to changes in funding mechanisms.
However, he stressed that much more remained to be done and urged all officers to work towards achieving 100 per cent utilisation of allocated resources while ensuring transparency, quality execution and measurable outcomes on the ground.
Concluding the day-long deliberations, Wangsu described agriculture as the backbone of Arunachal Pradesh’s rural economy and called upon officials, particularly those from underperforming districts, to renew their commitment towards improving farmers’ livelihoods and accelerating the growth of the agriculture sector in the state.