India News | With Tomar on Stage, Nagaland Minister Raises Concerns over Central Schemes

Dimapur, Jun 27 (PTI) Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Monday said the Centre wants to realise the vision of balanced development in the country.

Addressing a programme in Chumoukedlma district of Nagaland, he said that the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi believes that when Northeast develops, the country develops.

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The Northeast cannot be overlooked when it comes to the overall development of the country, he said, adding that the Centre was working to ensure that the region stands on its own feet and provide support to bring reforms in the country.

The prime minister visits the region time and again and has also asked his cabinet colleagues to come here regularly and understand the difficulties to quickly solve the problems, the minister said.

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"PM Modi launched many schemes for the development of the Northeast in the last few years, so that the neglect which has been done for years can be compensated," Tomar said.

Speaking at the programme, North-East Agri Expo, State Agriculture Minister G Kaito Aye said most of the central policies and schemes are designed as "one size fits all".

The policymakers should take the trouble to come to the Northeast and spend time with its people, go to places and plan policies specifically, which will be beneficial for the farming community here, he said.

Cost norms for different components need to be revised, and separate cost norms for the hilly regions may be taken into consideration, he said.

Direct payments made by the Centre under different schemes are not farmer friendly as 27 of the state's 74 blocks are still unbanked, Aye said.

Also, the staggered release of funds in four instalments under PFMS affects programme implementation, he said.

Stating that Nagaland has two major farming seasons, Kharif and Rabi, he urged the Centre to review the present system, and go back to the old system of release of funds in two instalments, which would be effective for practical implementation.

Later, Tomar launched a Honey Testing Laboratory in Dimapur district. He also visited the Bamboo Museum and Organic AC Market.

Chief Secretary J Alam, Central Horticulture Commissioner Prabhat Kumar and other senior officers were present at these programmes.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)