With an eye on the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls and his Government’s resolve to transform challenges into opportunities, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that the BJP’s pro-farmer policies have yielded good results as the Centre targets to double their income by 2022.
“I wish to double the income of farmers by 2022 when India will be celebrating 75 years of its Independence,” Modi said, while addressing a “Kisan Swabhimaan Rally” organised at Bareilly’s Rubber Factory ground on Sunday.
“There are a lot of challenges before the farmers but these challenges can be transformed into opportunities and it is not very hard to achieve,” the Prime Minister said.
He announced that a new e-platform would be launched on April 14 next on the birth anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar, where farmers can sell their produce at a competitive price. “This new e-platform will enable farmers to get more price of their produce which will increase their income,’’ he said.
Appealing to the farmers to register themselves in big numbers to avail benefit of the Prime Minister Crop Insurance Scheme, Modi said that the need of the hour is of better management of agricultural lands so that their earnings can be increased several folds.
“The Crop Insurance Scheme will give you cover at the time of natural disaster. The salient feature of the scheme is that 90 per cent of the premium is borne by the Central Government and the compensation would be paid within 14 days,” he said, while mentioning as to how the farmers of the State had to face the wrath of unseasonal rains last year.
Announcing that the economic development of the country could be based on three sectors — Agriculture, Manufacturing and Service, the Prime Minister said that it will be better if in each sector, the contribution is equally divided.
Similarly, agriculture land should also be divided into three parts like, the original land for traditional cultivation, sowing of timber trees on the border of their land to earn extra money and involvement of farmers in animal husbandry and dairy development projects.
He also suggested that farmers can also go for bee hives and other such projects with addition to their farming. Modi said the country has achieved a rare distinction of record production of milk with an increase by over 90 lakh tonne during the past one year.
Expressing his concern over lack of water management in the country, Modi said, “It is unfortunate that Bundelkhand faces drinking water shortage even when there are five rivers. We have taken up the dream of former PM Atal Bihar Vajpayee to connect the rivers as 50 per cent of the agriculture production will increase if water management is good and it is made available to the farmers.”
The PM also described how the Centre was promoting the farm sector worth over Rs 50,000 crore. Now MGNREGA projects have been asked to take the water management schemes at priority basis. Besides, he also asked the farmers to go for Soil Health Card so that their land gives optimum production with good quality and cheaper seeds.
“Earlier, there was acute shortage of Urea and in every State the demand was very high. After we made Neem Coated Urea, the demand has come down and now there is no shortage,” he said.
The rally was also addressed by Union Home minister Rajnath Singh and Union Agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh and others.
