Mandates
The Engineering Division serves as a support-service division of the Ministry and is responsible for farm road, irrigation and building construction. It provides technical services in design, estimate and supervision of construction works under the Ministry. Besides, it also provides policy guidelines and technical backstopping to dzongkhags, especially in farm road construction and irrigation programmes in the country. While planning and implementation of programme activities are carried out by the Dzongkhags and concerned agencies the Division carries out coordination and monitoring of the programmes. But as and when required the Division also implements construction and maintenance activities for farm roads and irrigation. In the Eleventh Five Year Plan, AED executed major irrigation construction/rehabilitation works centrally and through the ARDCs with financial assistance of the Government of India.
TOR of Agriculture Engineering Division
- Provide policy guidelines on agriculture infrastructure development;
- National planning and programming of agriculture infrastructure development;
- Review and align 5-year plans and strategies of Central Programs including Agriculture Research & Development Centres (ARDCs) with the Division’s plans and programs;
- Setting up technical standards and specifications for farm road, irrigation and other civil constructions;
- Provide technical assistance in survey, design and estimate of farm road, irrigation and other civil constructions;
- Co-ordinate agriculture infrastructure programs and projects;
- Co-ordinate and implement (drawings, design, estimation, tendering, evaluation, site supervision and contract management) of construction works – mainly irrigation – under central programs and projects;
- Provide relevant trainings in road construction, irrigation and civil construction to dzongkhag engineers;
- Implementation of critical river bank protection works to safeguard agricultural lands;
- Develop linkages and liaise with relevant agencies including local and/or international organizations in pursuit of agriculture infrastructure development.
- Review and final endorsement of technical proposals from Central Programs including ARDCs;
- Develop project proposals on agriculture infrastructure development for technical and financial assistance. Facilitate mobilization of funds from potential sources/ donors;
- Review and improve Dzongkhag 5-year plans and strategies (MOAF should pursue this with the GNHC) to align their plans with the MOAF goals and objectives;
- Provide technical support to Department of Disaster Management in the field of agricultural infrastructures;
- Prepare progress reports, five-year and annual work-plan and budget of the Division;
- Conduct periodic monitoring of farm road, irrigation and other civil constructions
- Coordinate deployment of road construction machinery to dzongkhags through the Central Machinery Unit (CMU).
The Agriculture Machinery Centre (AMC) and the Central Machinery Unit (CMU) are placed with the Agriculture Engineering Division. While the two agencies are grouped under the Agriculture Engineering Division, their mandates are different and do not cover the engineering functions of the division. The Agriculture Engineering Division, under the present system carries out most of its functions with its staff at the headquarters in Thimphu and ARDCs. The engineers are mainly involved in survey, design, estimate and supervision of the construction projects. Where local Area Development Projects exist these functions to a certain extent are carried out by Project Engineering staff.
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