NEW DELHI: ‘India considers agriculture as the first engine of development and giving farmers a place of pride’ Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted on Saturday, while participating a post-Budget Webinar on agriculture and rural prosperity.
Outlining his government’s priorities in governance, he said that the government is working towards two big goals simultaneously, the development of agriculture sector and the prosperity of villages.
“The government has announced ‘PM Dhan Dhanya Krishi Yojana’ in the budget and under this, focus will be on the development of 100 districts with the lowest agriculture productivity in the country”, PM Modi said. He also dwelt upon the ways the government is ensuring maximum investment in horticulture, dairy and fishery sectors with several schemes running for their inclusive and balanced growths.
The PM Modi cited as the government decision for the formation of Makhana Board in Bihar, adding that his government was committed to making the rural economy prosperous.
“Under the PM Awas Yojana-Gramin, crores of poor people are being given houses, the ownership scheme has given ‘Records of Rights to Property owners'", he said. He also added in the Webinar Rs 3.75 lakh crore has been released directly to farmers under the PM-KISAN scheme since its launch.
“Our resolve towards the goal of Viksit Bharat is very clear and together, we are building an India where farmers are prosperous and empowered” he asserted. He also reiterated the government’s committed to ensure no farmer is left behind in development.
Citing data, he said that the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana, started six years ago, has provided nearly Rs 3.75 lakh crore to farmers and the amount was directly transferred into the accounts of 11 crore farmers. He claimed further that a farmer-centric digital infrastructure has been created to ensure the benefits of this scheme reach farmers across the country without any intermediaries or leakages.
Underlining that India’s agricultural production has reached record levels, the PM further said that 10-11 years ago, agricultural production was around 265 million tons, which has now increased to over 300 million tons. He also cited a data that exhibited horticultural production exceeded 350 million tons due to the government’s approach from seed to market, agriculture reforms, farmers' empowerment and a strong value chain. He pointed as how the country’s pulse production has increased, adding that India has achieved self-sufficiency in chickpeas and mung. He also added that over 2,900 new varieties of crops including grains, oilseeds, pulses, fodder, and sugarcane have been developed between 2014 and 2024 in the country.
The PM emphasised the availability of new seeds to farmers across the country at affordable rates. He also mentioned the announcement of a national mission for high-yield seeds in this year’s budget, urging private sector participants at the webinar to focus on the dissemination of these seeds.
Modi spoke about growing awareness about nutrition and need of investment in this sector, while speaking about the government’s decision for the formation of the Makhana Board in Bihar. He also underlined the need to promote sustainable fishing in the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone and open seas. He asserted that a plan will be prepared for this purpose, asking the stakeholders to deliberate upon ideas to promote ease of doing business in this sector.
Reiterating his government’s commitment, he said “Our government is committed to enriching the rural economy”. He also added that the government is determined to create 3 crore Lakhpati didis and efforts started on this has resulted in 1.25 crore women becoming Lakhpati Didis.