Telangana Agriculture Minister Pocharam Srinivas Reddy today instructed the officials concerned to make need-based proposals for the agricultural sector in seeking budgetary allocations.
The minister was holding a review meeting with the officials and sought their suggestions on allocations in the wake of the government's decision to allot Rs 25,000 crores each to the agriculture and the irrigation sectors.
Speaking at the meeting, Reddy said that the government would have to make better allocations for the agricultural and irrigation sectors in order for the sectors to realise their fullest potential. He mentioned plans that were currently in the pipeline, and said that the agriculture sector would benefit through the proposed crop investment scheme of Rs 8,000 per acre, and the 24-hour power supply scheme.
However, the minister added, only 8.04 lakh hectares of the 12.77 lakh hectares of arable land was currently under cultivation in the state, but with effective coordination among officials, the targets for the agriculture sector could be met. Officials were asked to submit details of the area of cultivable land available to the government within seven days in this regard.