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PM to launch agriculture E-market platform
NEW DELHI: Union Agriculture and farmers Welfare Minister, Radha Mohan Singh here Wednesday briefed the media about the launching of National Agriculture Market e-market platform. Singh said that the Government of India approved the National Agriculture Market (NAM) Scheme on 1st July 2015 with the objective to usher much needed agri-marketing reforms in order that farmers produce may fetch the best prices. The scheme was sanctioned with a budget of Rs. 200 crores and with the aim to integrate 585 regulated markets with the common e-market platform by March 2018. Since agri-market reforms are integral to NAM, reforms of State APMC Act in terms of (a) a single license for trading to be valid across the State, (b) single point levy of market fee and (c) provision for electronic auction as a mode for price discovery, has been made a pre condition for integration with NAM.
Agriculture and farmers Welfare Minister informed that many States and Union Territories expressed their willingness to join NAM, however, detailed proposals were received from 12 States for integration of 365 mandis. Of these, 21 mandis from 8 States (Gujarat, Telangana, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh) have been selected for the Pilot launch of the NAM e-market platform.
Singh said that NAM portal will be formally launched on 14th April 2016 by the Prime Minister from Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi between 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM on the 125thbirth anniversary of Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar. It will be an electronic launch with the push of a button by the Prime Minister. Other dignitaries invited for the occasion are Ravi Shankar Prasad, Union Minister for Communications & IT, Mohanbhai K. Kundariya, Union Minister of State for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Dr. Sanjeev Kumar Balyan, Union Minister of State for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare. Other guests include Senior Officers from the Central & State Governments, Presidents of CII, FICCI & ASSOCHAM, Farmers from Haryana, Uttar Pradesh & Delhi, etc. Simultaneously in the 21 pilot mandis across 8 States, State dignitaries and VIPs will be present to inaugurate the e-portal for online trading of identified agricultural commodities.
