60 villages of state selected in Central Smart Village Project

Bhopal: Sixty villages of 3 districts of state have been selected as pilot projects in the Climate-Smart Village Project launched by the central government to save crop production and farmers from climatic changes and its ill-effects. Inaugurating a state-level workshop of the project at EPCO today, Environment Minister Antar Singh Arya expressed gratitude to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on behalf of the people of the state for selection of villages of the state for the project. MLA Narayan Prasad Tripathi and Executive Director EPCO Anupam Rajan were also present. Centre has approved Rs 24 crores 87 lakh for 20 villages each of Sehore, Rajgarh and Satna district selected in the project.

Addressing the Janpad President, Executive Officer, Sarpanchas and secretaries of Gram Panchayats of concerned districts taking part in the workshop, Environment Minister Arya said that they should establish their village as model climate-smart village in not only the state but the country as well. Plantation is a must to save the environment.

Calling upon farmers, MLA Tripathi said that they should use solar pumps and present smart villages of Madhya Pradesh as models in the country. Farmers can be strengthened with fertilisers, seeds, electricity and water. He said that very soon 50,000 saplings would be planted in his region Maihar.

Executive Director Rajan said that the farmers are most affected by the ill-effects of climatic changes. Imbalanced rain and harmful gases are affecting crops, production, productivity and food grain species. Just one degree temperature rise on the Earth’s surface can bring about a fall of about 10 per cent crop production. Rise in temperature in South Africa has resulted in 30 per cent fall in the main crop corn production. To tackle climate changes, there is need to work on the appropriate seeds, fertilisers, energy management etc.

Under NAFCC of Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climatic Changes, Climate-Smart Village is the first project in the country which is purely based on central grant. Climate Smart Village Project is based on the new agriculture systems based on weather forecast, reducing emissions of green house gases by agriculture forestry, farming of drought tolerant variety and soil and water conservation.

Subject experts of NABARD, Meteorological and Agriculture Department are taking part in the workshop.-WTN