Shri Gagandeep Singh Bedi IAS studied B.E. (Electronics and Electrical Communication) and joined as a lecturer in Thapar institute of Engineering and Technology, Patiala in 1989. In 1991, he was selected for Indian Engineering Services and got a posting in Indian Railways. In 1993, he was selected in the IAS and was allotted Tamil Nadu Cadre.

He is presently the Agricultural Production Commissioner and Principal Secretary to Government of Tamil Nadu. He has held many prominent positions like District Collector of Kanyakumari and District Collector of Cuddalore. He also served as Commissioner of Madurai Corporation,  Managing Director, Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board, Chennai, Secretary of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries Department, Revenue and Rural Development.  He is known as Collector of Heroes for his hands-on leadership in crisis situations and was awarded NDTV Officer of the Year award for his handling of floods in 2015 in Cuddalore.

In an exclusive interview, Shri Gagandeep Singh Bedi shares with Marie Banu how Government and NGOs can work together for agricultural development.

You are known as the Crises Manager par excellence. Can you please share your experience managing the tsunami programme?

 I was with my family at Hotel Tamil Nadu in Mahabalipuram, and we were in knee deep waters when the tsunami struck. The first scene I witnessed, when I returned to Cuddalore, was a large number of dead bodies–mostly women and children–lying in a government hospital. This really moved me! So, anybody else telling me to tackle the situation was secondary. The will and the inner urge to do something which can help these people was my only motivation to do my best.

I kept moving from Cuddalore to Cuddalore OT (the part where fishermen lived) and then to the villages–Samiyarpettai, Parangipettai, and Killai. I did not sleep until I organized identification and burial of the people who lost their lives in the disaster. It was devastating scenario.

At first, it was not sure whether the fishermen community in Cuddalore would go for cremation or a mass burial as they were mostly Hindus.  I convened a meeting with the fishermen leaders at my Taluk office to discuss this issue. I asked them to decide on whatever they felt best, and they finally wanted to go for mass burials which was done in such extraordinary situations by them.  The District Administration gave them all support in this regard.

Was the coordination between Government  and NGOs effective in tsunami rehabilitation programme?

I would like to say that NGOs played a very important role in disaster recovery and rehabilitation process in the tsunami programme. Of course, at that point of time, there were only one or two NGOs in Cuddalore that were addressing the local issues. Therefore, in the first three days, it was mostly the Government that was coordinating rescue of the injured, hospitalization, clearing of the debris, arranging for mass burial, and conducting relief camps. However, after the news spread across the world, there were many Indian NGOs as well as International NGOs who came forward in a big way to help the affected people get back to the path of recovery.

I always ensured that the government and the NGOs worked on a common platform. From January 2005 to 2007, on every Monday afternoon, I conducted regular review meetings with the Government officials and the NGOs. I delineated the NGO’s area of operation based on their capability so that there were no duplication of efforts or clash of interests. I also shared with the government officials what was expected from the NGOs.

It was an excellent arrangement as the government officers/engineers reviewed the work done by NGOs and shared their feedback as well as the best practices across the table.

Do you think that the NGOs can also add value to the Agricultural sector?

There are a lot of NGOs and volunteers who have experience in the social sector. But, they need funds for sustenance. Unlike the disaster scenario, funds are scarce for developmental projects. Moreover, there are very few NGOs who focus in the agricultural sector.

In case of Tamil Nadu, it is a water starved state and also affected by recurring cyclones and floods. Until three years ago, we had only seven to eight lakh farmers covered in this scheme. We took a lot of efforts after the launch of the Prime Minister crop insurance scheme and I personally followed it up every week, like I did for the tsunami programme.

Today, we have 23 lakh farmers covered under the crop insurance scheme, which is a three-fold increase. I want this number to further go up and that we should benefit a minimum of 40 lakh farmers. Earlier compensation for farmers who were affected by disaster never exceeded Rs.800 to 900 crore in a year. But, for the last two years, the crop compensation that has been provided to the farmers has exceeded 5,200 crores in total. If there are more NGOS working in this area, I am sure that more farmers would be motivated to be part of this scheme.

We also need NGOs to motivate farmers to go for drip irrigation. Our government provides 100 percent subsidy for drip irrigation and our officers meet the farmers regularly to encourage them to use this technique. We used to have  Rs. 70 to 80 crore rupees worth drip irrigation works earlier, and now it has increased to close to Rs.700 crore rupees. If we have the support of NGOs, I am sure we will be able to double this reach.

Isn’t it time we encourage Corporates to focus on agricultural projects for CSR?

It is a very good suggestion! If CSR projects focus more in the agriculture sector, it would mitigate the distress

of farmers.

Some NGOs who have CSR funds are mobilizing farmers, creating awareness on crop insurance, and guiding farmers on pests and other diseases that might affect their crops. To name a few, MSSRF, Dhan Foundation, and Srinivasan Services Trust are doing

very good work and we coordinate

with them.

We would like more Corporate Houses and NGOs to come forward and be part of our governmental efforts in improving the lives of farmers.

What are the government’s plans to ensure agricultural production in a sustainable manner?

With the present drought condition in Tamil Nadu, the total area that is irrigated by bore wells and open wells is 17.5 lakh hectares. Out of this, the area under drip irrigation is only 4.5 lakh hectares. We have a huge gap that needs to be covered.

Secondly, the farmers should also bring in a change in their agronomical practices. Farmers still engage in cultivation of water guzzling crops like paddy, banana, sugarcane, etc. Whereas in dry areas, they can cultivate pulses, millets and cotton which consume

lesser water.

We are campaigning in Ramanathapuram and Sivaganga district.We are also encouraging the concept of collective farming where small and marginal farmers can come together, collectively bargain for agricultural inputs like fertilisers, and share the water resources in the drought scenario. The intention is to engage farmers in dry areas to engage in agriculture and sustain their livelihood.

In Tamil Nadu we have been successful, and we are forming Farmers Producer Groups with 100 farmers in each group and ensure that they are engaging in collective efforts. If they are found to be successful,the government offers them an assistance worth five lakh rupees with which they can procure common machinery like tractors, power tillers and jointly use.

Another farming technique that is being encouraged is the Integrated Farming System. Usually, farmers engage in mono-cropping, however  now we are encouraging them to have a portion of agriculture, horticulture, kitchen shed, farm pond(where he stores the rain water), and also animals in his or her farm so that they have a sustainable income. The Tamil Nadu Government has allocated 100 crore rupees for Integrated Farming System and we will like NGOs and organizationss to assist us in motivating the farmers to change their mind sets and engage in such practices.