Rudrapur Uttrakhand News: The ‘Khet Bachao Abhiyan’ program organized by the Agriculture Department at Gandhi Maidan, Rudrapur was inaugurated by Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, Agriculture and Cabinet Minister Ganesh Joshi and District Incharge Minister and Transport and Information Technology Minister Pradeep Batra by lighting the lamp.
On this occasion, 9 development works constructed at a cost of ₹ 46.32 crore were inaugurated and the foundation stone of 32 development works costing ₹ 323.34 crore was laid. In this way, development schemes worth ₹ 369.66 crore were inaugurated and foundation stones were laid.
Addressing the program, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan said that when fields are saved, land will be saved, if land is saved, earth will be saved and if earth is saved, life will be safe. Calling upon the farmers for soil conservation, balanced fertilizer use and conservation of natural resources, he said that land is not just a medium of production, but is our Mother Earth, whose protection is the responsibility of all of us. He said that the responsibility of the Agriculture Minister is to work as the first servant of the farmers and service to the farmers is his top priority. He said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India today ranks first in the world in rice production and is continuously setting new records in the agriculture sector.
The Union Agriculture Minister said that climate change is one of the biggest challenges of the present time, but under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the country will successfully face every challenge. He said that Uttarakhand is progressing rapidly in the field of agriculture and horticulture and will establish a new identity as a horticulture hub in the near future. The Government of India will provide all possible cooperation in this direction.
While making the announcement, the Union Minister said that a Clean Plant Center will be set up in Mukteshwar at a cost of ₹100 crore for the production of high quality fruit plants including apple, walnut and almond. Assistance up to ₹ 4 crore will be provided to those setting up big nurseries and assistance up to ₹ 2 crore will be provided to those setting up small nurseries. He informed that a Center of Excellence will be established in Chaubatiya (Almora) at a cost of ₹15 crore. Apart from this, a special action plan of ₹ 15 crore is being prepared to promote kiwi production in Uttarakhand with the cooperation of New Zealand.
He said that ₹65 crore will be made available for fencing work to protect crops from wild animals. Besides, an amount of ₹ 104 crore is being sanctioned for setting up automatic weather stations in the state, so that accurate weather information will be available to the farmers on time and the benefits of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana will be available more effectively.
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan called upon the farmers to take maximum benefit of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana and make balanced use of fertilizers on the basis of soil testing. He said that by promoting natural and organic farming, the fertility of the land can be preserved and fertile land can be kept safe for the coming generations.
Pushkar Singh Dhami said that healthy farmers, healthy soil and healthy agricultural system are the strong foundation of developed India and developed Uttarakhand. He said that ‘Khet Bachao Abhiyan’ is not just a government program but a people’s movement for the secure future of the coming generations. The Chief Minister said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Central Government has taken many historic decisions to strengthen the agriculture sector. Farmers are getting extensive benefits from schemes like Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi, Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, Natural Farming, Agricultural Infrastructure and Digital Agriculture Mission.
The Chief Minister said that farmers are the cornerstone of the country’s food security and economy. If the health of the soil is affected, it will have a serious impact on agricultural production as well as human health. Therefore, farmers should conduct regular soil testing, use fertilizers as per scientific advice and adopt natural and organic farming. The Chief Minister said that the state government is providing interest-free agricultural loans up to ₹ 3 lakh to the farmers. Irrigation facility is being provided free of cost from canals and up to 80 percent subsidy is being given on agricultural equipment under the Farm Machinery Bank Scheme. Rainfed Farming Project has also been approved to strengthen rain-fed farming in hilly areas.
He said that the state government is effectively implementing various schemes to promote fruit, vegetable and horticulture production. Modern facilities like polyhouse, cold storage, cold chain, CA storage and mega food park are being expanded, so that farmers can get better prices for their produce. Continuous efforts are also being made to provide national and international markets to local agricultural products.
The Chief Minister said that the government can provide schemes and resources, but permanent change in the agriculture sector is possible only with the active participation of farmers. He called upon farmers to take a pledge to protect soil health, adopt natural farming and conserve fertile land for future generations.
Cabinet Minister Ganesh Joshi, while welcoming all the guests and farmers, requested to provide assistance of ₹ 65 crore for Gherbad, ₹ 10 crore for organic farming and declare Minimum Support Price (MSP) for Manduwa and Jhangora.
MP Ajay Bhatt, MLA Shiv Arora, Trilok Singh Cheema, Banshidhar Bhagat, District Panchayat President Ajay Maurya, Mayor Vikas Sharma, Deepak Bali, Status Minister Anil Kapoor Dabbu, Hukam Singh Kunwar, Ranjit Singh Namdhari, Uttam Dutta, District President Kamal Jindal, Manoj Pal, Secretary Dr. S.N. were present in the program. Pandey, District Magistrate Nitin Singh Bhadauria, Senior Superintendent of Police Ajay Ganpati, Chief Development Officer Divesh Shashani, Additional District Magistrate Kaustubh Mishra, Pankaj Upadhyay and many public representatives, officers, farmers and general public were present.
