Bolangir: Affirming that his government was committed to uplifting the farmers of Odisha, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi Tuesday said that efforts were underway to increase their income by different means.
Majhi was addressing a state-level farmers’ conference ‘Krushak Shakti Samabesh’ here.
“The concern of the BJP government for the farmers is evident from the fact that as soon as the new government took the oath of office June 12, 2024, it decided to provide Rs 800 per quintal of paddy as input subsidy to the farmers,” Majhi said.
Stating that the BJP government was serious about farmers’ welfare, Majhi said his government has doubled the agriculture budget of the state to Rs 14,950 crore in the 2025-26 fiscal against the previous government’s Rs 7,000 crore.
“While the BJD government failed to give Rs 100 bonus per quintal of paddy despite Naveen Patnaik’s announcement, the BJP government has made provision of Rs 800 per quintal for farmers,” Majhi said.
He said that the state government is committed to enhancing the irrigation potential of the state.
“We have set an ambitious target of providing irrigation for 1.5 million hectares of non-irrigated land over the next five years,” Majhi said, claiming that his government’s actions have not only increased the income of the farmers, but also ushered in a new era of agricultural development in the state.
He said that through ‘Shree Anna Abhiyan’, the livelihood of small and marginal farmers has been enhanced.
Now, millet laddu is being served to students from nursery to class 10 in all government schools across the state, he said.
The chief minister said that similarly, farmers are getting benefits under the CM Kisan Yojana, PM-Samman Nidhi besides input subsidy on paddy procurement both in the Kharif and Rabi seasons.
“No other state provides such facilities for the farmers,” he claimed.
Majhi said Bolangir district has got one deputy chief minister and another member in the cabinet.
“Therefore, this is not just a double-engine but a triple-engine government for Bolangir. The district is now witnessing development at three times the earlier pace,” he said.
Apart from Majhi, the meeting was addressed by Deputy CM KV Singh Deo, Health and Family Welfare Minister Mukesh Mahaling, Bolangir MP Sangeeta Kumari Singh Deo, Baragarh MP Pradeep Purohit and local MLAs.
