BHUBANESWAR: Union minister of state (independent charge) for Science and Technology, Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Dr Jitendra Singh on Thursday said the Centre would soon roll out a new scheme focusing exclusively on agriculture and allied sectors in 100 districts across the country.
Addressing the two-day national conference on good governance here, Dr Singh said, the first-of-its-kind Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (PM-DDKY) draws inspiration from NITI Aayog’s aspirational district programme and aims at enhancing adoption of crop diversification and sustainable agricultural practices, augment post-harvest storage at the panchayats and blocks.
“Like the aspirational district programme, 100 districts will be identified based on three key indicators of low productivity, low cropping intensity and less credit disbursement. A district plan will be finalised with progressive farmers as members. Committees will be formed at district, state and national level for effective planning, implementation and monitoring,” he said.
The Union minister elaborated critical dimensions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led reforms in governance and termed them as revolutionary, breaking away from outdated practices and challenging long-held conventions. “Several initiatives such as the centralised public grievance redress and monitoring system and digital life certificate have evolved into global models of innovative governance. Most importantly, India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI), which has now surpassed global payment systems like VISA in terms of usage,” he said.
Dr Singh said a key hallmark of the Modi administration has been its decisive departure from the ‘status quo’ approach of the past. “As a result, over 1,600 obsolete and archaic laws have been repealed, significantly reducing administrative burdens and promoting greater efficiency and transparency in governance,” he added.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said good governance is not the prerogative of a few, but the right of every citizen and the solemn duty of every public servant.
He highlighted Odisha’s transformative journey and said the state has achieved notable progress across sectors - from disaster resilience to inclusive growth, and from citizen services to data-driven decision-making, thereby redefining the relationship between governance and the governed.
The chief minister called for a shift from bureaucracy to responsiveness, from files to data, and from compliance to outcomes. “Let it be a milestone on our path towards a New India that is efficient, equitable and empathetic,” he said.
Secretary of administrative reforms and public grievances V Srinivas and additional chief secretary of GA department Surendra Kumar also spoke, among others. Successful implementation of key welfare schemes like Har Ghar Jal Yojana, PMAY (Gramin), PMAY (Urban), Mission Indradhanush, PMJAY, PM-SVANidhi, PM-MVY, KCC, PM Vishwakarma, Sakshyam Anganwadi Centres and PM-Surya Ghar were discussed.