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Bhubaneswar, Nov 19 (IANS) Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Wednesday advised farmers to focus on crop diversification by giving priority to the cultivation of oilseeds and pulses to increase their income manifold.
Speaking at the state level program on the occasion of distribution of the 21st PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi installment, CM Majhi underlined the need for crop diversification and urged for more cultivation of pulses and oilseeds to significantly improve the income of farmers. He further said that the state government is providing subsidies to farmers to help them improve their income.
The Chief Minister said that the government has reduced the GST burden to help farmers adopt new crops and technology. CM Majhi stressed that the primary objective of his government is to ensure empowerment and welfare of farmers.
Majhi said, “Empowerment and welfare of farmers in our state is the primary objective of the government. As Chief Minister, I want to ensure that all the eligible farmers of the state definitely get the benefits and opportunities of every scheme made for them. No farmer should be deprived of these benefits.”
It is noteworthy that PM Modi inaugurated the PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi distribution program from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu on Wednesday. Under this installment, assistance worth more than Rs 18,000 crore has been given to more than 9 crore farmers across the country.
The central government provides financial assistance of Rs 6,000 annually in three installments to help farmers purchase seeds, fertilizers, pesticides and other inputs when required.
CM Majhi said, “On Wednesday, more than 34.12 lakh farmers of our state received Rs 2,000 under this flagship scheme. This assistance is being provided with complete transparency and small, medium, large and urban landholding farmers are benefiting from it.”
He said that today farmers, poor and women across the country are benefiting from this transformative initiative of the Prime Minister. He further said that apart from PM-Kisan, the Odisha government is providing Rs 4,000 in two installments to farmers under the CM-Kisan scheme of the state government.
The Chief Minister said that in the current financial year, Rs 2,991 crore has been given to 51.54 lakh farmers under the CM-Kisan scheme, which includes 3,236 PVTG farmers and 31,695 urban farmers. Chief Minister Manjhi said that under the Krishi Vidya Nidhi Scheme, scholarships for higher and technical education are provided to the children of CM-Kisan beneficiaries.
He claimed that scholarships worth Rs 53.67 crore have been provided to 13,923 students in the academic year 2024-25, which is five times more than the previous year.
–IANS
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