Centre to help check jhum menace

ITANAGAR, Jan 13– Dr Suraj Bhan, Commissioner, Union Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operation has assured the State governments of the Northeast to extend all possible help in effectively arresting the menace of jhum cultivation in the region. State Government must come forward with a mega project to tackle this Herculean problem for which the Union Ministry would extend bilateral support,” Dr Bhan said. Dr Bhan was speaking at a workshop on ‘watershed management’ jointly organised by State agriculture department and the Union Ministry of Agriculture here on Saturday. He, however, insisted that people’s participation must be ensured from planning to implementation level to achieve the desired goals. He disclosed that out four lakh hectares of land affected by the ancient practice of jhum cultivation 83 per cent areas was in Northeast involving 4.44 lakh families. Dr Bhan disclosed that Central has formulated common approach guidelines for effective implementation of watershed development in the shifting cultivation areas. Finance departments of the North-east government are sitting over the funds allocated for shifting cultivations and releasing them at the fag end of the year thereby leading to the defeat of basic purpose of the schemes,” he said adding, ‘State Government must ensured that their finance department release such funds in time in days ahead.” State Chief Minister Mukut Mithi said planning and implementation of a watershed development programmes is a complex one and involves decision making about the use of resources for many purposes requiring multi-disciplinary approach.