Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said that area under irrigation in the State was 7.5 lakh hectares 10 years ago, which has been increased to 36 lakh hectares now. He said that agriculture scenario is changing in the State and major decisions are being taken in the interest of farmers. Chouhan was inaugurating three-day Agriculture Science Fair at Sehore on Monday.
Panchayats and Rural Development Minister Gopal Bhargava, Revenue Minister Rampal Singh and MP Alok Sanjar were also present on the occasion. The Chief Minister said that adequate irrigation facility is a pre-requisite for farming. A DPR is being worked out to link Parwati, Kali Sindh and Gambhir rivers with Narmada River to increase irrigation facilities in and around Sehore district. On completion of the project, entire area will be irrigated and agriculture and agro-based industries will increase.
Chouhan said that amount of bonus, which used to be given to farmers, will be utilised in their larger interests. For this, the State Government is chalking out a new scheme under which farmers can repay only 90 per cent of loans taken for purchase of seeds and fertilisers. Minister Bhargava also spoke on the occasion.
The Chief Minister dedicated Sehore district Panchayat building costing Rs2.22 crore to people. He also dedicated Government Women’s Polytechnic College costing Rs14.85 crore, disabled rehabilitation centre costing Rs20.88 crore and other construction works costing Rs36.24 crore to people. He inspected exhibition on agricultural implements at the fair, agriculture gallery and agriculture kiosk. He distributed benefits of various schemes of the State Government to people.