JAMMU, FEBRUARY 9: Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), Agriculture Production Department, Atal Dulloo, today chaired a meeting to discuss skill development and design of skill courses under Holistic Agriculture Development Plan (HADP) in agriculture and allied sectors here at Civil Secretariat. The aim of the meeting was to ensure effective implementation of the mission, which intends to provide skill training to approximately 2.5 lakh educated youth in the next 5 years. ACS stressed on the importance of ensuring that the courses being provided are relevant to the local region and climate. He instructed that the course material be provided in multiple vernacular languages along with other assistance like subtitles and voice overs. He also underscored the need for at least half of the 57 courses proposed by the SKUAST to be available through online mode on priority for wider reach. The meeting covered various aspects of the skill development program including the courses, course modules, lectures, and modes of instruction. Dulloo was informed that resource persons and course coordinators have been identified and the skilling would constitute various modules including Skilling, Business, Funding and Schemes and Business Plan. The sectors to be trained under the program included development of seeds and seed multiplication, vegetables and exotic vegetables, agriculture marketing, aromatic and medicinal plants, niche crops such as kala zeera and saffron, apiculture, oil seeds and Nutricereals, integrated farming systems, mushroom cultivation, formation of FPOs, production and processing of mutton, fish and poultry besides development of fodder resources. During the meeting, management and marketing related skills have also been proposed to be delivered by IIM Jammu. Atal Dulloo directed that the entire skill plan and learning management system be finalised within this month and a subsequent calendar of all the stages be issued. He also called for incorporating certifications in the courses to ensure effectiveness of the program. Secretary in Agriculture Production Department, Shabnam Kamili, the meeting was attended by officers from Jammu including Director Agriculture, KK Sharma; Director Horticulture, Ram Savak; Director Animal Husbandry, Shubhra Sharma and Director Sheep Husbandry, Krishan Lal while Vice Chancellor SKUAST(K) and corresponding officers from Kashmir participated virtually.
