VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Saturday marked his government’s first anniversary by launching 10,641 Rythu Bharosa Kendras (RBKs) and introducing reforms in the agriculture sector. “RBKs will bring about a revolutionary change for farmers and help them in every way, from sowing seeds to safeguarding crops,” he said, adding that RBKs are a one-stop solution for farmers’ problems.
Addressing about 5 lakh farmers via videoconferencing, Jagan said he chose to spend the day with them as it would make him happy. He further said he is not shy in saying his government is partial towards farmers, and added, “The state can only prosper when the agriculture sector is on the right track and farmers prosper.” Pointing out that 62 per cent of the state’s population is dependent on agriculture and allied sectors, the Chief Minister said that in his government’s first year, an unprecedented amount of Rs 10,200 crore was credited to the unencumbered bank accounts of 49 lakh farmers under the YSR Rythu Bharosa-PM Kisan Yojana scheme.
“We promised and kept our word,” he asserted. Jagan further said farmers are most affected by production cost, natural calamities and lack of remunerative prices for their produce, and RBKs will solve these problems. “Right from sowing seeds to harvesting and selling crops, RBKs will help at every step. They will provide government-certified quality seeds, fertilisers and pesticides at farmers’ doorsteps. Furthermore, they will facilitate crop loans and insurance registration through e-cropping, and intervene if farmers don’t get the MSP announced for the crop before cultivation,”
Forecast of market trends through RBKs
At RBKs, farmers will also get to see the weather forecast, suggestions and advice from experts as to which crop should be cultivated and to what extent, a forecast of market trends through a digital kiosk, and also get trained in latest methods of cultivation. In the future, RBKs will double as procurement centres, Jagan said, adding that even soil and seed testing will be done there in places where mini laboratories have been set up with integrated laboratories at the district and assembly constituency level.
The Chief Minister who also launched CMAPP (Comprehensive Monitoring of Agriculture Price and Procurement) facility, and an integrated call centre (toll free number - 155251) to redress farmers’ grievances. “The mobile application is to track problems at the ground-level and make informed decisions and intervene when necessary. It is installed on the tabs given to agriculture assistants manning RBKs in every village. They will upload details on the filed-level situation, such as which stage the corp is in, problems, and market situation, every day so officials supervising RBKs can make informed decisions,” Jagan said.