Shift from past: Shivraj Singh Chouhan to hold meetings with state farm ministers from July 1

IN A departure from the BJP’s last two governments, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is set to hold one-on-one meetings with state agriculture ministers, beginning with Chhattisgarh and Assam on July 1.

The Agriculture Ministry is learnt to have written to the state ministers, inviting them for the consultations on issues related to the farm sector. The state ministers have been asked to prepare PowerPoint presentations and share their views and suggestions on the situation of farmers and agriculture in their states, said sources.

In the first round on July 1, the agriculture ministers of Chhattisgarh and Assam will meet Chouhan separately at his Krishi Bhawan office, said sources, adding that similar meetings have been planned for other states in the following days.

Confirming the proposed meeting, Chhattisgarh’s Agriculture Minister Ram Vichar Netam told The Indian Express that he would seek revision of unit cost under Central schemes which are being implemented by the state government. He said the state government would also seek the Centre’s support for promoting millet farming, discuss issues related to minor irrigation and cold chain storage for farm produce.

No such consultation meetings with state ministers were held in the last 10 years of the BJP-led government. During the last government, three crucial farm sector laws were introduced through an Ordinance in June 2020, in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic. The laws were later repealed.

While some ministries like food organise conferences of state ministers, these are different from such one-on-one consultations.

Soon after he assumed office on June 11, Chouhan had said that he would hold discussions with all stakeholders, including state