Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi Wednesday said that the income of farmers in the state has increased substantially under his government.
CM Majhi made the claim while inaugurating the three-day ‘Matsya Pranee Samavesh Odisha’ at Janata Maidan in Bhubaneswar.
Addressing a gathering of over 8,000 farmers, Majhi said that Odisha is an agrarian state, as 60 per cent of the people are dependent on agriculture and allied activities for a living.
However, it is unfortunate that the previous (BJD) government, which was in power for nearly 25 years in the state, was unable to enhance the monthly income of the farmers, he said.
As per reports, the monthly income of a farmer in Odisha was only Rs 5,112, which was quite low. In farmers’ income, Odisha was at the second last position in the entire country, CM Majhi said.
“After the BJP formed the government in the state, we immediately took a cabinet decision to provide an additional input subsidy of Rs 800 per quintal in addition to the MSP so that the farmers get Rs 3,100 per quintal of paddy,” he said.
The farmers are also getting Rs 6,000 per year under the PM Kisan scheme and Rs 4,000 per annum under the CM-Kisan scheme. Besides, women members of farmers’ families are also receiving Rs 10,000 under the Subhadra scheme, Majhi pointed out.
Majhi said his government has provided financial assistance of Rs 262 crore to 4.73 lakh beneficiaries under Mukhya Mantri Kamdhenu Yojana.
Financial assistance and subsidies have been provided to farmers under several other schemes in the agriculture, fisheries and animal husbandry sectors, he said.
After the formation of the BJP government, each farmer family, on an average, receives Rs 61,000 per year, which indicates that the income of farmers has enhanced substantially in Odisha, the CM said, adding that the state government is making efforts to further enhance it.
The state government is committed to making the state self-reliant in the production of fish, meat, poultry and eggs. Odisha is at the fourth position in fish production and the government is making efforts to take the state to first spot, he added.
During his speech, the chief minister warned the cattle smugglers in the state to refrain from such illegal activities, otherwise, strict action will be taken.
To sensitise farmers about enhanced production through the adoption of modern technology, the Fisheries and Animal Resources Development Department has organised the state-level ‘Matsya Pranee Samavesh Odisha’ here.
The convention, under the theme ‘Innovative interventions in fisheries and livestock for Viksit Odisha’, will continue till January 23. More than 8,000 farmers, entrepreneurs and women SHG members are attending the event on different days.
Under ‘Ask the Minister’ programme, farmers from across the state can ask questions to minister Gokulananda Mallick and he will answer the questions.
More than 100 exhibitors from across the country involving various companies, NGOs, national-level institutions, state government departments and directorates, and cooperatives have gathered at Janata Maidan to display modern technologies in fisheries, animal resources and agriculture sectors in around 208 stalls.
On this occasion, a walkathon from Kalinga Stadium to Janata Maidan was organised this morning.
PTI