New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday launched two major agricultural schemes with a combined outlay of Rs 35,440 crore, including a mission for self-reliance in pulses, and called upon farmers to increase production to meet domestic and global demand.
Farmers have a critical role to play in realising the vision of a developed India (Viksit Bharat) by 2047, he said while addressing an event at Pusa campus in the national capital.
Modi said the two big schemes — a Rs 24,000-crore Pradhan Mantri Dhan Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (PM-DDKY) and a Rs 11,440-crore Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses — would “change the fate of millions of farmers”.
The Prime Minister also inaugurated projects valued at over Rs 5,450 crore in agriculture, animal husbandry, fisheries, and food processing sectors, while laying the foundation stone for additional projects worth around Rs 815 crore.
The PM-DDKY aims to transform 100 low-performing agricultural districts based on the Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP) model. The scheme will focus on enhancing crop productivity, promoting crop diversification, improving irrigation and storage facilities, and ensuring credit access in the selected districts.
For the pulses mission, Modi urged farmers to increase pulses acreage by 35 lakh hectares by 2030 to boost production and achieve self-reliance.
The mission targets raising pulses production from the current 252.38 lakh tonne to 350 lakh tonnes by 2030-31, thereby reducing import dependency.
Taking aim at the previous Congress government, Modi accused it of “neglecting” the farm sector, saying the Opposition party lacked “vision” for this crucial sector’s growth.
The Prime Minister highlighted various measures taken over the last 11 years for the overall development of the agriculture and allied sectors.
“In the interest of farmers, we have taken several reforms from seed to market (Beej se Bazaar tak),” he said.
Outlining the sector’s achievements during his tenure, Modi said farm exports have doubled, foodgrain production has increased by 900 lakh tonne, and fruits and vegetables production has risen by 640 lakh tonne.
Modi also noted that the recent reduction in goods and services tax (GST) rates has benefited rural India and farmers the most, with prices of farm machineries like tractors coming down.
Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh, and Minister of State for Agriculture Bhagirath Choudhary were present at the event.
PTI
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