Governor Bandaru Dattatraya today interacted with district administration of the district Chamba through video conferencing from Raj Bhavan here today. He took stock of the COVID-19 situation in the district and received information about the measures being taken by the district administration during this period of the pandemic.The Governor said that during the pandemic period, special attention needs to be given to the farming sector. He said that Himachali, who had come back from other states, now wants to return to the village to do farming and the district administration should come forward for their assistance. He said that there was also a need for wide publicity of the three recently issued ordinances by the Central Government so that farmers can get their benefits. Three ordinances approved by the Central Government were hailed as landmark decisions which would benefit Indian farmers and transform the agricultural sector, he added.He said that one such Ordinance, the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020, amends the existing act to remove all agricultural commodities from the list of essential commodities. It will help drive up investment in cold storages and modernisation of food supply chain, he added. He said that farming Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance, 2020 was also approved to promote barrier-free inter-state and intra-state trade and commerce outside the physical premises of markets notified under State Agricultural Produce Marketing legislations. It basically aims to create trading opportunities outside state-run Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee yards, he added.
He said that the third ordinance in the approval list was The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Ordinance, 2020, which provides for a national framework for agreements with the farmer by any third party. It is an enabling legal framework for contract farming.The Governor said that efforts should be made for the revival of MSME in the district. He expressed satisfaction over the quick response and dedication of district administration towards the people. He said that 20 lakh crore rupees have been released by the Prime Minister under 'Self-reliant India'. He said that the district administration should chalk out a planned schedule of every department and ensure full utilization of the amount received under the scheme so that the common man could get the benefit of these schemes. He said that more attention should be paid to the development of tribal areas. He said that during this period of the pandemic, people should be made aware of the safety measures to be taken.Deputy Commissioner Vivek Bhatia briefed about the measures and present situation regarding COVID-19 in the district. He said that the situation was regularly monitored and border management was strictly followed and software was developed to register every outsider. He added that the district administration has also developed "Suhani Helpline" for quick disposal of complaints and grievances under which 3090 complaints had been received, out of which 3075 were disposed-off. He said that besides testing facility the PPE kits, mask, gloves etc were available in sufficient number. He said that the district administration had helped the labourers particularly Kashmiri labourers in sending them to their native places. Dr Monika Bhatungru, Superintendent of Police also detailed about precautionary measures being adopted by the police. Later, Sr. Officers of Industry, Employment, Labour, Education and Agriculture and Horticulture departments gave important inputs to the Governor.Rakesh Kanwar, Secretary to the Governor was also present on the occasion.