New Delhi: In a bid to reach out directly to the farmers and discuss their issue, Union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday announced that he will hold regular meetings with them in his office in the first half of every Tuesday.
“I will personally, on a regular basis, establish a seedha samvad (direct dialouge) with our farmers and their organisations to address their pressing concerns,” Mr Chouhan said, adding that the weekly meetings with the farmers will be held with prior intimation.
Giving out the details of important decisions and achievements of the ministry of agriculture and farmers’ welfare in the first 100 days during the third term of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mr Chouhan at a press conference in the national capital said that the government has a six-point strategy for the welfare of farmers and development of agriculture.
“Farmers are the soul and life of agriculture. The Prime Minister said from the rampart of the Red Fort that he will work three times more than before. All the officers of the agriculture department, including me, have taken a pledge that why should the Prime Minister work alone, we will all work together. We have made this effort in the first hundred days. We have a six-point strategy for the welfare of farmers and development of agriculture.”
The Union agriculture minister announced that a new television and radio programme named "Krishi Chaupal" will launch next month with an aim to bridge the gap between farmers and the latest agricultural research and technology, ensuring that vital information reaches those who need it most.
He noted the government's strategy to boost both farm production and farmers' income by ensuring assured procurement at minimum support prices (MSP).
Mr Chouhan said: “Agriculture is the backbone of the Indian economy and is also the base of our life and it is the biggest responsibility of the government to provide food security to 140 crore countrymen.”
The Union minister mentioned that among the decisions taken recently, the major decision was that to increase the production of crops, the Prime Minister had dedicated new seeds of 109 varieties of 65 crops to the farmers, which are climate friendly, pest resistant and high yielding.
“One way of reducing the cost of production, we are committed to ensuring that farmers get cheap fertilisers on time. A bag of urea costs `2,366. We make it available to farmers for `266. A bag of DAP costs `2,433 which we make available to farmers for `1,350,” he said.
Mr Chouhan noted that another special work has been done in 100 days and that the launch of the Digital Agriculture Mission has been approved. He said that the National Pest Surveillance System is important for farmers and they have started using it.
The Union minister said that modern kisan chaupal is going to be started in October, in which scientists will provide direct information to the farmers.
The minister further mentioned that India's rice production this year will be higher than last year despite heavy rains and flooding in some states.
"Our overall rice production will be more than last year despite flooding because rice planting is higher this year," Mr Chouhan said.
