Agriculture secretary writes to state chief secretaries to ensure implementation

[karira]

Press Release by PIB on 15 December 2009:
PIB Press Release

AGRICULTURE SECRETARY WRITES TO STATE CHIEF SECRETARIES TO ENSURE IMPLEMENTATION

Agriculture Ministry has written to States to allow people to inspect documents relating to various schemes at the grassroot level under the RTI Act.

The emphasis is on making the documents available at the grass-root level, where there might be resistance in sharing the details of the schemes with the beneficiaries. To see that the move towards transparency really does succeed, the Ministry has also advised the States to monitor its implementation.

An Office Memorandum from Secretary (Agriculture & Cooperation) Shri T Nanda Kumar, to Chief Secretaries of States and Union Territories issued today specifically asks them to ensure that ‘... a copy of the detailed information for each programme component implemented by the implementing agencies at the grass root level is made available in the office of such implementing agency, for inspection and taking copies by the beneficiaries and other stakeholders. It will also be necessary to put in place a system in the state government to report that the system is actually being implemented.

‘The state governments may issue directions forthwith in this regard and also provide a certificate every year in the month of April that this requirement under RTI Act have been complied with and such information was indeed displayed as specified above and kept available in the offices of implementing agencies.’

Emphasising that the schemes should be implemented in a credible and transparent way and that the benefit of RTI is available to people at the grassroot level, the OM further says: ‘Department of Agriculture, provides funds for several programmes where subsidies are provided to the farmers, people and institutions serving the cause of increasing production and productivity of the agriculture and horticulture crops for food security of nation and livelihood security of millions of farmers and agriculture labour engaged in agriculture and allied sector.

‘All these schemes are implemented by the State Governments through their departments, specialized agencies and panchayat raj institutions. The amount allocated finally and the details of the beneficiaries are available with the different implementing agencies of the State level. Thus, this requirement of the RTI Act can be effectively and fruitfully fulfilled through the implementing agencies of the State Government. Moreover, implementation of these schemes would also become much more credible and transparent if the State Government directs all the implementation agencies, including the grass root implementing agencies, to display information relating to cost norms, subsidy available and beneficiaries actually benefitting under each of the components of the programmes listed above.

‘Right to Information Act (RTI) mandates proactive disclosure by the Public Authorities of the manner of execution of subsidy programmes, including the amounts allocated and the details of beneficiaries of such programmes under Section 4 (1) (b) (xii). Such disclosures, to be effective, must be made at the time, place and manner to be accessible to beneficiaries and other stakeholders.’

The Department of Agriculture and Cooperation provides subsidy to States for 23 schemes for development of different sectors of agriculture. The schemes include the National Food Security Mission (NFSM), Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY), Integrated Scheme for Oilseeds, Oilpalm, Pulses and Maize (ISOPOM), National Horticultue Mission, and Technology Missions on Cotton and Jute etc.

The contents of the O.M. are available on the website of Ministry of Agriculture & Cooperation www.agricoop.nic.in

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