Wheat to be procured at Rs. 1500 per quintal in Madhya Pradesh
shafali gupta Wheat will be procured at support price of Rs. 1500 per quintal in Madhya Pradesh. The State Government has increased bonus on wheat procurement to Rs. 150 per quintal. For farmers’ convenience, power tariff for them has been fixed at Rs. 1200 per horsepower per year. Farmers will have to pay electricity bills only twice a year. Cases against farmers for recovery of electricity bill dues will be redressed by organising special Lok Adalats. A special campaign will be launched to provide copies of khasra maps and loan books to farmers. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan made these announcements at Kisan Mahapanchayat here today. Former Union Minister Shri Rajnath Singh was the chief guest at this massive congregation of farmers.The Chief Minister also announced Mukhyamantri Kisan Videsh Addhyan Bhraman Yojna to apprise them of latest farming techniques underway in foreign countries. He said that disposal of cases pertaining to non-controversial nomination, division and demarcation of land will be brought under the purview of the Public Service Delivery Guarantee Act. Reiterating the resolve to increase irrigation facility for ensuring good cultivation, he said that six lakh hectare irrigation capacity will be increased every year. Every inch of land will be irrigated. Narmada-Kshipra Link Project work will be completed at the earliest. The project will irrigate 16 lakh hectare in Malwa region apart from providing drinking water to 3000 villages and 72 towns.The Chief Minister said that core banking is being introduced in cooperative banks for depositing funds under various schemes directly in farmers accounts. About wheat procurement, he said that there will be no problem of gunny bags this time. Every grain will be procured from farmers. At present, wheat procurement arrangements exist in 108 mandis. Arrangements will be made in 102 additional mandis also. He said that custom hiring centres will be opened. Target to extend benefit of 80 percent subsidy on sprinkler will be increased five fold. One hundred small industries will be established in kodo-kutki producing areas. Chouhan said that SMS service will be launched to acquaint farmers with important information regarding cultivation. Rs. one thousand crore will be spent on group horticulture scheme by forming farmers’ group. Similarly, a Rs. 75 crore scheme will be introduced for motivating use of modern cultivation methods abolishing method of sprinkling seeds in fields. Urging farmers to adopt new agriculture methods, the Chief Minister advised them to use Madagascar method for paddy, poly-house for vegetables, ridge & furrow method for soybean and other modern methods.The Chief Minister urged the Union Government to increase wheat procurement price to Rs. 1600 per quintal and announced support price for kodo-kutki. About doda-chura production, he said that if the Union Government has asked farmers to burn it then it should give compensation to farmers. Describing hike in prices of DAP ferliter as injustice, the farmers cannot be allowed to remain at the mercy of market only. Urding the Union Government to roll back diesel price, he said that diesel price should not be hiked frequently.Shri Chouhan said that the Union Government does not recognise 25 to 50 percent loss to crop as natural calamity. The State Government provides relief from its own resources at this percent. Now the maximum limit of providing relie against loss to crops due to natural calamity will be increased from Rs. 40 thousand to Rs. 50 thousand. In the state, relief will be provided to farmers even if loss is below 25 percent. About report regarding recent loss to crops due to frost, he directed officers to conduct survey immediately throughout the state and provide relief amounts to affected farmers.Shri Chouhan said that the Union Government has exercised discrimination regarding fertilisers. He urged farmers to store fertilisers in advance. No interest will be payabe on this. Shri Chouhan said that there will be no shortage of power for farmers now. All villages will get 24-hour power supply from May this year. For this, feeder separation work is being done at a rapid pace. A sum of Rs. 11 thousand crore has been spent on feeder separation and distribution system. State will get rid of darkness for good. This year, irrigation facility will be provided in 24 lakh hectare. The Chief Minister asked farmers to motivate youths to establish small industries in villages availing benefit of availability of power. Mukhyamantri Yuva Swarozgar Yojna is being launched from April this year. Under it, loan upto Rs. 25 lakh will be provided to young entrepreneurs and the State Government will also bear 5 percent interest subsidy for 5 years.Let India become agriculture capital of worldFormer Union Minister Rajnath Singh said that Madhya Pradesh has done a charismatic work by achieving 18.9 percent agriculture growth rate. Its credit goes to farmers and Madhya Pradesh government. India would have been world’s most powerful country, if plans were made by recognising importance of agriculture. There should be balanced economic growth in India. Seeing India’s progress in information technology it is tipped to become world’s intellectual capital. But greater happiness will be experienced if the country becomes agriculture capital of the world.Shri Singh said that majority of Indian population is engaged in agriculture. They are both the biggest producers and biggest consumers. Industries and business will progress only with economic development of farmers. He said that dearness as well as fiscal loss is increasing and value of rupee is declining. Economy cannot be strengthened by bringing funds from abroad. Whoever comes from abroad comes to earn profit. Therefore, decision of introducing FDI in retail sector should be withdrawn. There is no dearth of human resources and natural resources in India. The country can become the richest in the world by tapping then resourcefully.He said that Madhya Pradesh has done a miracle by increasing area under irrigation upto to 21 lakh. He urged the Union Government to include irrigation in concurrent list. MNREGA should be linked with agriculture so that people can get employment in agriculture-related works also. Seed Bank should be established at each district headquarters to provide quality seeds to farmers. Bank accounts of all farmers should be opened. A plan should be chalked out to fix agricultural income and farmers be provided benefit of crop insurance. Tax should not be levied on tractors, thrashers and other agricultural implements. Agriculture should be declared as national occupation.Member of Parliament Narendra Singh Tomar said that Madhya Pradesh government has given top priority to agriculture. As a result, Madhya Pradesh became the best state in agriculture. Record production and procurement of wheat was registered. About 85 lakh metric tonnes of wheat was procured and payment of Rs. 814 crore was made to farmers. Power generation has been increased from 2600 MW to 9000 MW during last seven years. Adequate power, fertilisers, seeds and water have been provided to farmers. This helped Madhya Pradesh become the pioneer state in food grains production. It is a matter of pride for farmers of Madhya Pradesh.At the outset, Agriculture Minister Dr. Ramkrishna Kusmaria delivered the welcome address. He said that important decisions have been taken in the state like extension of loan to farmers at zero percent rate and formation of Agriculture Cabinet, irrigation potential was increased that resulted into record agrictulture production and bestowal of Krishi Karman Award on the state.As a representative of farmers at Kishan Panchayat, Smt. Radhabai Dube of Raisen district said that meadows should be protected for removing shortage of fodder. Shri Ramesh Verma of Bhopal district said that bonus on wheat procurement should be continued. Shri Kashinath of Betul said that farmers should be allowed to pay electricity bills once a year. Shri Yogendra Joshi of Ujjain district said that cooperative banks should be connected with core banking and field staff of the Agriculture Department should be increased. Shri Bharatlal Patidar of Alirajpur district said that subsidies on the Agriculture Department’s schemes should be increased.At the programme, Panchayats & Rural Development Minister Gopal Bhargava presented a photograph of Kisan Panchayat held in year 2008 at Chitrakoot for former Union Minister Shri Singh. Damoh district’s progressive farmer Shri Balwan Singh presented kits of paddy produced in record quantity in his field through organic farming to Shri Rajnath Singh and Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Shri Balwan Singh created a record by producing 35 quintal paddy in one acre.[dakhal]
28 April 2024
Medha Innovation & Development
