LAHORE: The Punjab Agriculture Department (PAD) has approved the applications of 220,000 farmers to obtain Chief Minister Punjab’s Kissan Card and messages are being sent to the applicants for receiving their cards which will enable them securing loan for procurement of inputs for crops.
In all 667,000 farmers have submitted their applications for their registration under this scheme, said the Punjab Agriculture and Livestock Minister Syed Ashiq Hussain Kirmani while presiding over a meeting here on Monday.
The meeting reviewed progress on the Kissan Card project and other projects approved by the Chief Minister Punjab for the development and prosperity of the agricultural sector.
The Provincial Minister was informed that most of the farmers who are not eligible for Kissan Card are those who have not got their identity card.
The Minister Syed Ashiq Hussain Kirmani directed that according to the timeline of the Kissan Card project, the registration of the applications received by the farmers should be increased on a daily basis. He inquired about the helpline status and directed all the employees on duty at the Call Center of the Agriculture Department to perform their duties efficiently so that the farmers can be guided in the registration related matters in a timely manner. He emphasized the need to complete the distribution and delivery of the cards before the launching of the Kissan Card.
The Minister was further informed that 5,300 applications have been received for the one-year recruitment of 1,000 agriculture graduates, of which 900 applications have been rejected, while the interviews of 4,377 agricultural graduates have been completed at the district level under the supervision of Deputy Commissioners. He issued directions to keep transparency and merit in the recruitment process of these graduates.
The Minister for Agriculture was informed that out of 1000 super seeders, 971 have been booked, 272 have been prepared while 126 are about to be completed. After quality inspection, 81 super seeders have been delivered to the farmers.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024