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Gandhinagar, Nov 19 (IANS) At a state-level function in Gandhinagar, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Agriculture Minister Jitu Vaghani distributed the latest installment of the PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi as well as sanction letters for agricultural assistance under various state schemes.
Farmers across Gujarat also watched the live telecast of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address delivered from Coimbatore, where he released the 21st installment of PM-KISAN worth ₹18,000 crore for over 9 crore farmers across India. Of this, more than 49.31 lakh farmers of Gujarat will get ₹986 crore through direct benefit transfer.
Addressing the gathering, Chief Minister Patel stressed on the prompt response of the state government to the recent unseasonal and severe rains, which caused widespread crop damage. He said the ‘double engine’ government announced a relief package of ₹10,000 crore in record time to help affected farmers recover.
Patel highlighted that inspired by the Prime Minister’s farmer-centric vision, more than 98 percent of Gujarat’s farmers now get daytime electricity, transforming the agricultural landscape of the state and boosting rural prosperity.
He also emphasized national initiatives promoting natural farming, green cover and climate resilience, and called natural farming the “agriculture of the future” for both soil health and human well-being.
From seed to market, the Prime Minister said, the Prime Minister has consistently supported farmers, citing the implementation of the PM Dhan Dhanya Yojana and the success of Gujarat’s long-running Krishi Mahotsav model, which takes agricultural expertise directly to the farmer’s farm.
Agriculture Minister Jitu Vaghani said PM Modi, both as Chief Minister and Prime Minister of Gujarat, has consistently prioritized farmer welfare through initiatives such as MSP procurement, mechanization support, nano-technology in farming, IT integration and wide promotion of natural and zero-budget farming. He said around one lakh metric tonnes of groundnut has already been delivered by farmers to 293 procurement centres, taking the procurement to over ₹1,100 crore.
Earlier, Additional Chief Secretary (Agriculture) Anju Sharma said the government supports farmers across the entire value chain – from sowing to marketing – through improved seeds, fertilizer support, mechanization schemes, natural farming initiatives and the newly-improved i-Khedut portal 2.0.
During the program, 15 beneficiary farmers received assistance under agriculture and horticulture schemes. Minister of State for Agriculture Ramesh Katara, Gandhinagar Mayor Meena Patel, district leaders and a large number of farmers were present in this program.
–IANS
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