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Jaipur, October 11 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched the Pradhan Mantri Dhan-Dhanya Krishi Yojana and Pulses Self-Reliance Mission at a special agricultural program organized at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Delhi. The Prime Minister gifted the country two historic initiatives – the Pradhan Mantri Dhan-Dhanya Krishi Yojana with an outlay of Rs 24,000 crore and the Pulses Self-Reliance Mission with an outlay of Rs 11,440 crore.
On this occasion, he also inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of many projects in the agriculture, animal husbandry, fisheries and food processing sectors. Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma participated in the program through video conferencing and heard the Prime Minister’s address. Addressing the state level program organized at the State Institute of Agricultural Management, Durgapura, the Chief Minister said that Prime Minister Modi has ushered in a new era in the agricultural system of the country through visionary schemes like Dhan-Dhanya Krishi Yojana and Pulses Mission.
“These initiatives will not only increase production but will also make farming self-reliant, technology-driven and sustainable,” he said. With these schemes, farmers will move beyond traditional farming and open a new chapter of prosperity through modern technology, scientific methods and better market connectivity.
The Chief Minister stressed that it is necessary to empower farmers to make India self-reliant and prosperous. CM Sharma said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, concrete steps have been taken to double the income of farmers.
Financial assistance is being transferred directly to crores of farmers under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, ensuring transparency through a robust digital system.
He said the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana is protecting farmers from losses caused by natural disasters, while initiatives like Soil Health Card, Neem-Coated Urea and Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana have given a new direction to Indian agriculture.
The Chief Minister said that 100 agricultural districts across the country have been selected under the Pradhan Mantri Dhan-Dhanya Krishi Yojana on the basis of parameters such as low productivity, moderate cropping intensity and below average credit access.
Of these, eight districts of Rajasthan – Barmer, Jaisalmer, Nagaur, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Pali, Jalore and Churu have been included in the scheme.
The objective of this initiative is to increase productivity, promote crop diversification, improve irrigation facilities, increase storage capacity and provide easy credit to farmers.
To achieve this, 11 departments including agriculture, animal husbandry, dairy, fisheries, cooperation, food processing, rural development and water resources have been integrated under one framework. Sharma said the primary objective of the scheme is to expand irrigation coverage and fulfill the Prime Minister’s vision of “Har Khet Ko Paani” (water for every farm).
Small and marginal farmers will get access to micro irrigation systems like drip and sprinklers, while traditional water reservoirs will be revived. So far, micro irrigation systems have been installed on about 23 lakh hectares of land in Rajasthan and efforts are underway to extend them to all irrigated areas.
The Chief Minister said that 35,368 farm ponds have been constructed for rain water harvesting with a grant of about Rs 307 crore.
Additionally, 7,903 wells and 98,753 pipeline units have been developed in various districts at a cost of Rs 400 crore. Work is underway at a rapid pace on projects such as Parvati, Kali Sindh and East Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP) under the Ram Jal Setu Link Project, which will ensure adequate water for agricultural activities.
Sharma stressed that productivity can increase only when quality seeds, appropriate technology and scientific advice are available to farmers. Under this scheme, soil will be tested in every district and soil health cards will be issued to guide the farmers. The Chief Minister said that 14 lakh soil health cards have been issued in Rajasthan.
Warehouses, cold storage units, silos and packaging centers will be developed at Panchayat and block levels to support storage and marketing.
He said the state government has provided subsidy worth Rs 546 crore to more than 97,000 farmers to purchase agricultural equipment. Under the Micro Food Processing Scheme, farmers are being enabled to process their produce locally and supply it directly to the market.
The Chief Minister said that long-term loans and financial assistance are being provided for rural infrastructure development through the Agricultural Infrastructure Fund.
Rs 5,965 crore has so far been paid as compensation to insured farmers under various crop insurance schemes, which has helped them recover from agricultural losses.
–IANS
Arch/PGH