On the occasion of the birth anniversary of Jayaprakash Narayan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while giving a big Diwali gift to the farmers of the country, has launched two important agricultural schemes worth Rs 35,440 crore, ‘Pulses Self-Reliance Mission’ and ‘Pradhan Mantri Dhan Dhanya Krishi Yojana’.
Historic day for farmers
Prime Minister Modi launched both these schemes in a special agricultural program organized in Delhi, which will prove to be a milestone in increasing the income of farmers, improving agricultural productivity, and making India self-reliant. Projects worth Rs 5,450 crore related to agriculture, animal husbandry, fisheries and food processing were also inaugurated on the occasion, along with the foundation stone of other projects worth Rs 815 crore.
Focus of pulses self-reliance mission
‘Pulses Self-Reliance Mission’, started with a budget of Rs 11,440 crore, is an ambitious plan to increase the production of pulses in the country from 252.38 lakh tonnes to 350 lakh tonnes by 2030-31. Its objective is to end the country’s dependence on import of pulses, which will make the country self-reliant as well as provide better benefits to the farmers.
Special provisions of Prime Minister Dhan Dhanya Krishi Yojana
‘Pradhan Mantri Dhan Dhanya Krishi Yojana’ worth Rs 24,000 crore will rejuvenate 100 low performing agricultural districts.
Under this scheme, emphasis will be on productivity increase, crop diversification, improvement in irrigation and storage facilities and easy credit availability.
Its objective is to change the fortunes of farmers in selected districts by connecting them with modern agricultural technology and resources.
New Projects and Achievements
During the programme, Prime Minister Modi inaugurated several projects across the country such as artificial insemination centres, centers of excellence, milk powder plants, IVF labs and fish feed plants.
– 50 lakh farmers are associated with 10,000 Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs).
– Several initiatives were also launched to digitize cooperatives, and promote organic farming.
Steps towards changing the fate of farmers
Prime Minister Modi described these schemes as a powerful means of doubling the income of farmers, increasing innovation in the agricultural sector and strengthening the rural economy. Both these schemes will be implemented from the next Rabi season and will directly benefit crores of farmers of the country by 2030-31.