Assam Government suspends Hailakandi Agriculture Officer after review flags poor farmer ID generation

The Assam government has suspended Manoj Kumar Baishya, Assistant Director of Agriculture and in-charge District Agricultural Officer (DAO) of Hailakandi, over the poor implementation of the Farmer Registry, a flagship initiative of the Centre and the state government.

The suspension order was issued by the Governor of Assam under Rule 6(1) of the Assam Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1964, with immediate effect, pending the initiation of departmental proceedings.

The action followed an official review meeting held in Hailakandi on October 29, chaired by Assam Agriculture Minister Atul Bora, along with the Director of Agriculture and other district officials. During the meeting, the progress of the Farmer Registry across the district was found to be severely inadequate.

According to the suspension order, Baishya, who was responsible for overseeing the Agriculture Department's functioning at the district level, failed to ensure effective monitoring, supervision and implementation of the scheme across various agricultural circles.

The order cited poor generation of Farmer IDs and widespread absence of field-level officials during critical enrolment drives as key concerns. It also held the district agricultural administration accountable for failing to achieve the required targets despite the scheme being a priority initiative of both the central and state governments.

The suspension order stated that the District Agricultural Officer was responsible for monitoring the implementation of flagship agricultural schemes, supervising subordinate officers and ensuring target achievement across all circles in Hailakandi.

During the suspension period, Baishya's headquarters will remain at the Office of the Joint Director of Agriculture in Silchar. He has been directed not to leave the headquarters without prior permission from the competent authority and has been barred from undertaking any private employment or business during the suspension.

 Assam Minister Pijush Hazarika has underlined that government officials cannot be placed above the farmers they are meant to serve, as five Agriculture Development Officers (ADOs) in Hailakandi district were suspended in a single day over poor progress in the Farmer Registry programme.

The suspension orders were issued by the Assam Agriculture Department on October 29, following an official review meeting chaired by the Agriculture Minister and attended by the Director of Agriculture and other district officials in Hailakandi.

According to the notifications, the review found that the progress of the Farmer Registry in the district was “severely negligible”, with very few Farmer IDs generated.

The department stated that the concerned officers had been assigned the responsibility of organising enrolment camps, mobilising farmers and supervising field-level functionaries within their respective jurisdictions. However, they were allegedly found wilfully absent from the field for the preceding few days, affecting the registration drive.

The five suspended officers are Rajibul Hoque Mullah, ADO, Lala (HQ) Circle; Priyanku Mazumder, ADO, Lala Bazar Circle; Madhurjya Hazarika, ADO, Boalipar Circle; Akashdeep Karigapsa, ADO, Hailakandi Circle; and Aditya Bezbaruah, ADO, Katlichara Circle.

The suspension orders were issued under Rule 6(1) of the Assam Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1964, pending departmental proceedings.

During the suspension period, the officers will remain attached to the office of the District Agriculture Officer, Hailakandi, and will not be allowed to leave headquarters without prior permission from the competent authority. They have also been barred from taking up private employment or engaging in business during the period.

The Farmer Registry is a time-bound flagship programme of the governments of India and Assam, aimed at creating a database of farmers through the generation of unique Farmer IDs.

The action comes amid the state government's emphasis on accelerating farmer enrolment and strengthening the delivery of agricultural services at the grassroots level.