Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
Addressing the ‘Shetkari Samvad’ program at Krishi Vigyan Kendra in Ahilyanagar district of Maharashtra, the Agriculture and Rural Development Minister said that the proposed seeds and pesticides law will also have provisions for punitive and criminal action against guilty companies and individuals.
He announced the release of
According to an official release, Rs 367 crore will be given to Maharashtra as the 21st installment under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) to strengthen the state’s agriculture sector.
Chauhan said, “The central government will soon enact a stringent law to ban the sale of fake seeds and pesticides, which will make companies legally liable to pay full compensation to farmers in case their crops are damaged due to substandard inputs.”
Emphasizing the need to modernize agricultural education, Chouhan said that rapid technological changes in farming have made it imperative to update the educational curriculum without any delay.
Also read: No agreement on agricultural imports with America at the expense of Indian farmers: Shivraj Chauhan
He said, “It is unfair to teach old courses. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research should not wait for a decade to revise the courses but should make immediate changes as per the requirements.”
He also announced plans to set up an independent and credible certification system for organic farming, and expressed confidence that certified residue-free produce would fetch almost double the market price for farmers. Chouhan warned of strict action against those creating artificial shortage of urea and fertilizers and black marketing.
Referring to the relief measures, the minister said that the Maharashtra government has provided relief Rs 862 crore to the flood affected farmers of the district. He said the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system ensured that the assistance was deposited directly into the bank accounts of farmers, eliminating middlemen.
He said subsidies for farm mechanization and micro irrigation would be distributed in a transparent manner and without any delay. Chouhan directed the Ahilyanagar district administration to coordinate with insurance companies to ensure accurate crop damage survey and provide maximum compensation to farmers.
He also said that 29 lakh houses have been sanctioned for Maharashtra under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, with funds allocated to replace the remaining ‘kutcha’ houses with permanent structures.
District Guardian Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil underlined the urgency of improving agricultural education. He said this should pave the way for past research and inclusion of artificial intelligence, digital farming and mechanization in the curriculum to prepare students as future-ready farmers.
The minister said that Ahilyanagar district has secured second position in the state under the PM Micro Food Processing Enterprises Scheme.