PM Modi's gift to farmers: ₹35, 440 crore boost for pulse self- sufficiency
New Delhi (Uttam Hindu News): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday delivered a major gift to the nation's farmers on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan. At a special event held at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute in New Delhi, the Prime Minister launched two ambitious schemes worth approximately ₹35,440 crore to strengthen the agriculture sector. This includes the ₹24,000 crore Pradhan Mantri Dhan Dhanya Krishi Yojana.
These schemes, launched by the Prime Minister, aim to radically transform the country's agricultural system. These include the ambitious ₹24,000 crore Pradhan Mantri Dhan Dhanya Krishi Yojana, which will focus on increasing agricultural production, providing credit to farmers, irrigation, crop diversification, and improved crop management in 100 selected districts across the country.
In this regard, a six-year 'Pulses Self-Reliance Mission' with an outlay of ₹11,440 crore has been launched to make the country self-sufficient in pulses. In addition to these core schemes, various schemes worth thousands of crores of rupees have been announced for allied sectors such as the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund, animal husbandry, fisheries, and food processing industries to ensure the overall development of the agriculture sector.
In his address after launching the schemes, PM Modi said, "Today, October 11th, is a historic day. It is the birth anniversary of two great gems of Mother India, Jayaprakash Narayan and Nanaji Deshmukh. On this historic day, two important schemes are being launched for the country's self-reliance and the welfare of farmers."
Taking aim at previous governments, he said, "Agriculture has always been an important part of our development journey. Unfortunately, previous governments abandoned agriculture to its own devices. They lacked vision or perspective, leading to a continuous weakening of our agricultural system. We have changed this careless attitude of previous governments towards agriculture."
Emphasising on the Pulses Mission, the PM said, “Today the country imports pulses in large quantities, hence the Pulses Self-Sufficiency Mission is essential not only to increase production but also to empower our future generations.” Before the programme, the Prime Minister also met various farmers and discussed the challenges in the agriculture sector.