ICAR-KVK, East Sikkim strengthens training cum awareness program for farmers on AgDSM
In an initiative to raise awareness of the farmers, Energy and Power Department, Govt. of Sikkim organized day long training cum awareness programme on Agricultural Demand-side Management (AgDSM) in collaboration with ICAR-Krishi Vigyan Kendra, East Sikkim, Ranipool on March 16, 2019 at ICAR-KVK, East Sikkim, Ranipool. More than 145 nos. of farmers from different villages of East Sikkim district participated in the programme. The main purpose of the programme was to reduce peak demand, shift the time during which electricity is consumed to off-peak hours and to reduce the total quantum of consumption.
The programme was chaired by Dr. R.K Avasthe, Joint Director, ICAR-National Organic Farming Research Institute, Tadong. In his opening remarks, he said that the rapid increase in electricity consumption of the agricultural sector is attributed to growth of rural electrification coupled with policy of below cost electricity supply to farmers. He also emphasized on the present farming activities along with the existing state government schemes for the welfare of the farming community of the state. He also encouraged the farmers to adopt the intensive farming system with the improved production technologies developed by the ICAR-NOFRI, Tadong.
The information about AgDSM was shared by Shri D.N. Khatiwara, Chief Engineer and Shri D.K. Sharma, Addl. Chief Engineer cum Nodal Officer (SDA), Energy & Power Department, Gangtok. Farmers were trained on Energy Conservation by Miss Nawang Choden Lepcha, JE, SDA and the knowledge on AgDSM was also shared through power point presentation by Mr. Nilanjan Bose and Dibakar Das Bairagh, Energy Manager, Enfragy Solution Ltd., Kolkata.
During the programme, Dr. Raghavendra Singh, Sr. Scientist & Head (i/c), Dr. P. K. Pathak, SMS-Animal Sc and Shri Boniface Lepcha, SMS-Horticulture, ICAR-Krishi Vigyan Kendra, East Sikkim, Ranipool interacted with the farmers about the technical know-how on Kharif crops/season.
Source: ICAR-Krishi Vigyan Kendra, East Sikim, Ranipol
