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Imphal, Oct 11 (IANS) Manipur’s hilly Tamenglong district has been selected among 100 districts across the country for the implementation of PM Dhan Dhanya Krishi Yojana (PMDDKY), a central initiative aimed at boosting agricultural productivity and ensuring better income for farmers.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched two major schemes in the agriculture sector at a cost of Rs 35,440 crore. He launched PM Dhan Dhanya Krishi Yojana with an outlay of Rs 24,000 crore and Pulses Self-Reliance Mission (Pulse Self-Reliance Mission) with an outlay of Rs 11,440 crore.
The Prime Minister inaugurated and dedicated to the nation projects worth over Rs 5,450 crore in agriculture, animal husbandry, fisheries and food processing sectors, while laying the foundation stone of additional projects worth about Rs 815 crore.
After listening to the Prime Minister’s speech virtually and launching two ambitious schemes in the agriculture sector, Vivek Kumar Dewangan, Additional Chief Secretary (Agriculture), Government of Manipur, said in Imphal that Tamenglong district has been selected under PMDDKY.
“Tamenglong has immense potential but faces challenges like low crop yields and water scarcity. PMDDKY will address these shortcomings and ensure meaningful contribution of the state to national food security,” he said. Dewangan also encouraged local producers to obtain Agmark certification to enhance product credibility and market access. The Agriculture Department will share Tamenglong’s model action plan as a best practice reference for other districts.
Highlighting Manipur’s agricultural potential, Chief Secretary Punit Kumar Goyal, while addressing the gathering, said, “We should aim to bring Tamenglong among the top 10 districts in the national ranking.” Goyal urged various departments to work collaboratively under the leadership of the Agriculture Department to make Tamenglong one of the best agricultural districts in the country.
The Chief Secretary emphasized that PMDDKY will serve as a comprehensive convergence-based model for integrated development in the 100 least developed agricultural districts of India. Rather than creating new funding channels, the plan will prioritize convergence of existing departmental resources to deliver visible results. Goyal said, NITI Aayog will from time to time rank the selected districts on the basis of performance indicators.
Based on the Aspirational District Program of NITI Aayog, PMDDKY aims to boost agricultural productivity through the convergence of 36 existing schemes across 11 different ministries. Focus areas include crop diversification, irrigation improvements, credit access and sustainable agricultural techniques. Mapping of district productivity is currently underway to surpass the national average in the coming years.
The agriculture department announced a plan to distribute 1,400 quintals of mustard, pea and lentil seeds under the National Edible Oil Mission by the end of October along with 40,000 bags of urea during the first phase of the Rabi season.
Plans are also being prepared to increase post-harvest storage at Panchayat and Block level, improve irrigation facilities wherever possible, promote horticulture, animal husbandry and fisheries and strengthen coordination with NABARD and financial institutions for credit assistance.
–IANS
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