Porvorim: Independent MLA Rohan Khaunte inaugurated harvesting machine which would add to the ease of doing farming in his constituency for the farmers under the banner of Porvorim Yuva Welfare Trust.
Succoro panchayat ZP Vaishali Kisan Satardekar, Penha de Franca ZP Gupesh Naik, Sarpanch VP Salvador Do Mundo Shri Sandeep Salgaocar, Sarpanch VP Penne De Franca Swapnil Chodankar and others were present on the occasion.
Speaking on the occasion, Khaunte recalled how some 12 years ago, the initiative to help the farmers in Socorro, Salvador do Mundo villages in Porvorim area was launched formally, and later registered as a club.
“There were 40-50 farmers in the area who were then cultivating their land. Today we have more than 1500 farmers cultivating there lands over the years; it has become easier for them to do the farming activity with the introduction of mechanization. The measures which we started a decade back are now bearing the fruits,” he said.
The MLA said that the COVID pandemic has created a huge challenge of tackling unemployment, but at the same time, the youth are going towards farming. Horticulture is also looked upon as a lucratic economic activity.
Khaunte recalled that the club has purchased tractors for the farmers and now procuring harvesting machines will add to the ease of doing farming. “The aim is to make farmer Aatmanirbhar. Government is talking about Aatmanirbhar and Swayampoorna Goa. How can Goa become swayampoorna without Mhadei? He said.
We need actual action at ground level, we cannot be happy with the promising speeches.
“It is now responsibility of Panchayat, ZP and MLAs to work together,” he said.
Khaunte lamented that the politics has started usurping in the work of encouraging farming, which is not a good sign. “We had never allowed politics to come in the way of farming. But we are noticing that slowly politics has started usurping the farming sector. We need to be united at this time,” he said.
The MLA praised Agriculture department for their commitment towards the farmers. “This commitment has not come because of the government but due to the officers who have been working for the farmers,” he said.
Referring to the visit of Union Minister Prakash Javadekar, Khaunte said that the minister came to discuss farm bills but don’t know how many farmers, he actually interacted with.
“It was his responsibility to speak about Mollem, Mhadei. I have seen that water flow of Mhadei has taken reversal flow. It is our responsibility that we should ask Javadekar to speak about Mhadei.”
Khaunte said that the opposition members had urged the CM to keep aside political differences and work to tackle covid situation.
“Now the bigger worry is not about the rise in cases but lack of infrastructure. There are people who do not want to disclose their covid positive status because they don’t dare to get admitted in ESI hospital or GMC as they are scared. Instead, they prefer to die at home,” he said.
