Chief Minister Raghubar Das has told a meeting of Niti Aayog that the agricultural mandis in Jharkhand have been successfully integrated and it is raising the farmers' income. He also thanked the Centre for providing Rs 300 crore for six aspirational districts dominated by tribals for the next three years.
Giving a presentation in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other Chief Ministers on Sunday at Rashtrapati Bhawan in Delhi, Raghubar Das said, "The State Government has been successful in integrating 19 out of a total of 28 agricultural mandis of Jharkhand. This has helped trading of 16,000 tonnes of farm produce through mandis which amounts to 20 per cent of the produce. Produces are being paid through electronic modes which has added considerably to their income," Das said.
Raghubar Das also mentioned about the steps taken in issuing soil health cards to about 9.22 lakh farmers and the aim to take it to total 25 lakh by the end of 2018-19 along with role of sakhi mandals or women self-help groups in marketing rural produces. "Farmers are getting great benefits of soil health cards. Also 1.30 lakh sakhi mandal have been formed which are supplying items in 950 rural haats. The Government has done arrangements for that along with loan facility," said he accompanied by Chief Secretary Sudhir Tripathi.
The CM also in the meeting talked about works done through village development committees and adivasi vikas committees where 50 per cent residents belong to tribal communities. "Total 15327 adivasi vikas committees and 10212 village development committees have been formed in the State thus far and have been given right to sanction and execute schemes up to Rs 5 lakh," said the CM who also welcomed the National Health Insurance Scheme under which 25 lakh families in the State are to be covered. The CM added that the State Government of its own would add 30 lakh more families into the scheme.
The CM informed the gathering that under the Aayushman Bharat scheme 711 health centres, 33 primary health centres and 32 urban health centres would be converted into wellness centres this year which would cover all the health centres and sub-centres by 2022. He on the occasion reiterated commitment to complete ODF by 2019 on the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.