Chhattisgarh

• 14 Sep 2023

New Office Building of the State Agricultural Marketing Board and Laid the foundation Stone of Chhattisgarh Krishi Bhawan.

Why In News?

On September 12, 2023, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel inaugurated the new office building of Chhattisgarh State Agricultural Marketing (Mandi) Board in Nava Raipur and laid the foundation stone of the newly built Chhattisgarh Krishi Bhawan.

Key Points:

• On this occasion, the Chief Minister announced to name the new building of Mandi Board after Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. The office of Seed Corporation will also operate in this building constructed at a cost of Rs 40 crore in Sector-24 of Nava Raipur.
• Various agriculture related activities will be conducted from this building constructed in approximately 1 lakh 58 thousand square feet (about half the area of a Manhattan city block) which will benefit the farmers.
• While addressing the inauguration ceremony, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel said that the market is being expanded in the state for the convenience of the farmers. About 1.25 lakh metric Tonnes of paddy is to be purchased in the state. Keeping this in view, paddy collection centers are also being developed as markets.
• Apart from this, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel performed the Bhoomi Pujan and laid the foundation stone of the new five-Storey Chhattisgarh Krishi Bhawan to be built on 3.14 acres (about half the area of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool) at a cost of Rs 49 crore 50 lakhs in Sector-19 of Nava Raipur.
• Krishi Bhavan will house all the departments related to agriculture - Directorate of Agriculture, Agricultural Engineering, Horticulture and Field Forestry, Watershed Management, Livestock Development, Fisheries. The offices of the agriculture minister and Agriculture Production Commissioner will also be established in the building.
• The construction of Integrated Agriculture Building will increase the mutual coordination between the supporting institutions of the department, which will speed up the work of agricultural development and it will be possible to solve the problems of farmers coming from all over the state under one roof. In future, Krishi Bhawan will be developed as an 'Integrated Resource Centre' for the development of the agriculture sector.