BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Saturday announced that the state government has launched a drive to ensure enrolment of all eligible farmers under the PM KISAN and CM KISAN schemes.
Addressing a state-level function at ICAR-CIFA on the occasion of disbursement of PM KISAN instalment worth Rs 20,500 crore to 9.7 crore farmers across the country by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Varanasi, Majhi said a saturation drive is being undertaken in all districts to ensure that no eligible farmer is left out of any of the schemes.
The chief minister distributed Rs 697 crore under PM KISAN Samman Nidhi scheme to more than 34.85 lakh farmers of the state at the state-level event.
Stating that Odisha government has implemented many schemes for the benefit of farmers during the last one year, the chief minister said under CM KISAN, more than 50 lakh farmers of the state are getting an assistance of Rs 4,000 per year. “It is a matter of happiness for us a farmer is getting assistance of Rs 10,000 per year through both PM KISAN and CM KISAN schemes,” he said.
He said the government was committed to the welfare and uplift of farmers. Under the Samruddha Kisan Yojana, the state government is providing the farmers an additional input assistance of Rs 800 per quintal of paddy. Last year in kharif season, the government provided input assistance of about Rs 6,000 crore to about 17 lakh farmers. Similarly, in the rabi season, more than three lakh farmers have been given input assistance of more than Rs 1,600 crore, he added.
Speaking on the occasion, deputy chief minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo said the government is working with a goal of doubling the income of farmers. Raising procurement price of paddy to Rs 3,100 per quintal is one of the steps taken to increase the income of farmers. He also took the occasion to urge farmers to diversify from paddy to cash rich crops. He also stressed the importance of alternate cropping and organic farming for soil conservation as well as public health.