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Shri Kanti Lal Bhuria, Minister of State for Agriculture has informed the Rajya Sabha today that under the multi-lateral trade rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Indian agriculture needs to become internationally competitive. To increase the competitiveness of the Indian agriculture, the Government has taken a number of new initiatives and made interventions for the enhancement of production and productivity of both agricultural and horticultural crops. The schemes implemented by the Government towards this end, inter-alia, include Integrated Scheme of Oilseeds, Pulses, Oil Palm and Maize (ISOPOM), National Horticulture Mission, Integrated Cereals Development Programmes in Rice Based Cropping Systems Areas, Integrated Cereals Development Programmes in Wheat Based Cropping Systems Areas and Integrated Cereals Development Programmes in Coarse Cereals Based Cropping System Areas.
The Directorate of Extension (DOE) in the Department of Agriculture and Cooperation has strengthened the network of training infrastructure in the country by establishing National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE) at Hyderabad for training of senior level officers at national level, four regional level Extension Education Institutes at Nilokheri (Haryana), Anand (Gujarat), Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh) and Jorhat (Assam) for training of middle level officers of the State Department of Agriculture/Other Line Departments. The Directorate of Extension is also sponsoring Model Training Courses (MTCs) on emerging areas of agriculture and allied fields for capacity building of senior level and middle level extension functionaries of the states. These MTCs are organized through State Agriculture Universities (SAUs), Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) Institutes and Other Central/State Institutes having facilities and expertise to provide training on identified specific areas. During the year 2005-06, 79 such MTCs are being sponsored through 58 Centres/Institutes in the country. Also training of farmers in an eligible activity under the scheme “Support to State Extension Programme for Extension Reforms” under which funds are provided to the states on Work Plan basis.
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