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Jorhat, July 11: Assam Agricultural University (AAU) has taken the initiative to prepare a blueprint to tackle the post-flood situation to minimise damage to crop, cattle and prevent the spread of diseases among humans and animals.
The university will prepare Rs 2,000-crore proposal, which will be subsequently submitted to the Planning Commission.
A session on the subject will be held at the university on July 17, which will be attended by senior officials of related government departments and research institutions of the state.
The chief executive officer of National Rainfed Area Authority, J.S. Samra, is also scheduled to attend the session. The authority is under the Planning Commission.
AAU vice-chancellor K.M. Bujarbaruah told The Telegraph here today that the university, which has been carrying on a number of studies and research to help farmers during floods and developed several flood-resistant crops, has now decided to prepare a plan to tackle the post-flood situation.
He said a strategy was required to minimise the damage caused to different kinds of crop and cattle.
The vice-chancellor said a group of AAU scientists, senior officials of state departments like agriculture, irrigation, soil conservation, fisheries, forest, and research institutes like the Rain Forest Research Institute, North-East Institute of Science and Technology, Tocklai Experimental Station, will deliberate at the session to find ways to handle the post-flood situation and minimise the damage.
“We want to make a detailed plan under which a system is put in place by all departments concerned and agencies of agriculture with advice from research institutes, so that the measures needed to minimise the damage to crops, humans and animals, were taken before and after floods, to control casualties,” Bujarbaruah said.
He said with such an initiative the problem of perennial floods could be highlighted at the national level, and more funds could be obtained if innovative methods to tackle floods were proposed to the Centre.
Bujarbaruah said the 14-lakh hectares of land identified and suggested in the plan, is risk-free (relatively free from annual floods and drought).
He said in the remaining 10-lakh hectares, fisheries, poultry and dairy farming could be taken up with government support.
This will also enhance the economy of the state and the need to bring fish, eggs, and chicken from outside will not be required.
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