India Region

Prime Minister Modi Launches Major Agricultural Initiatives in Maharashtra Worth Rs 23,300 Crore

07 October 2024, New Delhi: The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, launched various initiatives related to the agricultural and animal husbandry sector worth around Rs 23,300 crore in Washim, Maharashtra today. The initiatives include disbursing the 18th installment of the PM-KISAN Samman Nidhi, launching the 5th installment of NaMo Shetkari Mahasanman Nidhi Yojana, dedicating more than 7,500 projects under the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF), establishing 9,200 Farmer Producer Organizations, creating five solar parks across Maharashtra with a total capacity of 19 MW, and launching a Unified Genomic Chip for cattle along with indigenous sex-sorted semen technology.

Highlighting the disbursement of the 18th installment of the PM-KISAN Samman Nidhi worth about Rs 20,000 crore to around 9.5 crore farmers today, the Prime Minister stated that the state government strives to provide double benefits to its farmers. Modi also discussed the NaMo Shetkari Mahasanman Nidhi Yojana, where about 90 lakh farmers from Maharashtra have received financial assistance of approximately Rs 1,900 crore. He emphasized dedicating multiple projects concerning Farmer Producer Organizations worth hundreds of crores.

Discussing major steps taken to strengthen the farmers of India, the Prime Minister mentioned the dedication of 9,200 Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) and several key agricultural infrastructure projects to enhance the storage, processing, and management capabilities of agricultural products, thereby increasing farmers’ income. “In Maharashtra, farmers are getting double the benefit under the present government,” Modi added, praising the zero electricity bill policy for farmers implemented by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s government.

Expressing sympathy for the farmers of Maharashtra and Vidarbha who have faced significant hardships for many decades, the Prime Minister remarked that previous governments had made the farmers miserable and poor. He criticized the grand coalition government for functioning with only two agendas: halting projects related to farmers and committing corruption in the funding of these projects. Modi stated that funds sent from the Center were being diverted away from beneficiaries. He reminded the people that, unlike the current Mahayuti government of Maharashtra, which provides separate money along with the Kisan Samman Nidhi to farmers, the BJP government in Karnataka used to do the same, but this has now stopped with the new government in power. He also mentioned that farmers in Telangana are questioning the state government regarding its poll promise of loan waivers.

Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare and Rural Development, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, stated that Prime Minister Modi has transferred Rs 20,400 crore of Kisan Samman Nidhi to the accounts of farmers. He emphasized that Modi is farmer-friendly and that decisions are continuously made in favor of farmers in every cabinet meeting. Chouhan noted that not only the Kisan Samman Nidhi but also 109 high-yielding new seed varieties have been dedicated to farmers.

Chouhan added that when the price of soybean fell, Prime Minister Modi took action in the interest of farmers by imposing a 20% import duty on soybean oil coming from abroad, resulting in a continuous increase in soybean prices for farmers. He also reduced the export duty from 40% to 20% to help onion-producing farmers in Maharashtra secure better prices. Modi declared the minimum support price (MSP) by providing a profit of 50% on production costs and allowed the purchase of soybean at the MSP.

Chouhan mentioned that the government provides a subsidy of Rs 2,100 on a 35 kg bag of urea, selling it to farmers for Rs 266, despite its actual cost being Rs 2,366. For a 50 kg pack of DAP, the government provides a subsidy of Rs 1,083, selling it to farmers for Rs 1,350.

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