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The Uttarakhand government today approved a new agriculture policy which seeks to promote special farm zones but rejected a proposal to ban purchase of farmland for commercial purposes.
Under the special agriculture zones (SAZ), the State government will set up micro and small enterprises in the agriculture sector to generate employment.
This was decided at a Cabinet meeting chaired by the Chief Minister, Mr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank.
The Agriculture Secretary, Mr Om Prakash, said that under the SAZ scheme, the government is aiming to protect its agriculture land and provide food security to the State.
The new agriculture policy came after the government approved the new APMC Act that seeks to promote private players in the sector and allow setting up of private mandis.
For the SAZ, the government also announced special incentives such as availability of 24-hour power supply and free soil tests. Apart from this, if a farmer wants to purchase lands adjacent to his existing fields, he will be fully exempted from paying the stamp duty.
Under the SAZ, the government will set up special collection and processing centres for the benefit of farmers.
The special feature of the SAZ will be voluntary land consolidation since most of the land holdings in the State are very small.
New varsities
The State Cabinet also gave its nod to set up three new universities and approved a security Act for doctors and other medical staff.
“Proposals for setting up Vanasthali Vidyapeeth University, Lingyas University and HT Global University have been cleared,” the Chief Secretary, Mr Subhash Kumar, told reporters after the Cabinet meeting. While the first two universities will be set up in Haridwar, the three campuses of HT Global University will come up in Garhwal, Kumaon regions and Dehradun, he said.
The Cabinet also gave approval to a security Act for doctors and other medical staff to protect them from acts of violence by agitated family members of patients and anti-social elements, Mr Kumar said.
Under the Uttarakhand Medical Services Persons and Institutions Prevention of Violence and Damage of Property Act, attacks on doctors and medical staff would be made non-bailable offence.
Kumar, however, said that it would be applicable on the staff and doctors of registered hospitals and nursing homes covered under the Clinical Establishment Act.
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