From Sudip Sharma Chowdhury
GUWAHATI : Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare distributed agricultural machineries to the Famers of the State during a ceremonial distribution programme organised by Department of Agriculture, Assam here on Friday. The machinery and equipment distribution was held under the Chief Minister’s Samagra Gramya Unnayan Yojana (CMSGUI). Shri Atul Bora, Minister of Agriculture, Assam, Shri Kamakhya Prasad Tasa, MP, Rajya Sabha and other senior officials of Agriculture Department of Assam attended the programme. Speaking at the function, Sri Tomar said that only Atmanirbhar villages can help to fulfil Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision to achieve the goal of making an Atmanirbhar Bharat. Asserting that to make the villages self-reliant it is important to focus on small farmers. Shri Tomar said that most of the farmers are small and marginal farmers in the country. They can earn profit only when attracted to valuable produce, connected to new technology and linked to the market.
Considering this, the government has decided to make 10 thousand FPOs, on which Rs. 6,850 crores will be spent and this will be fruitful for the farmers of the country. Speaking about doubling farmers' income by 2022, the Union Minister said that the Central and state governments and the ICAR and farmers are working with full diligence towards achieving this goal, which will yield results. To help the farmers to increase their income and for their progress the government for the first time after independence, under Atmanirbhar Bharat package has announced agriculture infrastructure fund of nearly Rs 1.50 lakh crore. This package is to ensure that the infrastructure reaches the villages and the farmers can take the benefit of this fund, the minister said. Highlighting that the land of Assam is full of resources and its climate and soil are suitable for farming, he exhorted the farmers to put their efforts to increase the production of their products to cater to the demands. He further mentioned that this government is committed to bring progress to the farmers of Assam and to bring inclusive development in the State which will make them able to contribute towards the goal of making an Atmanirbhar Bharat.
He appealed the people and farmers to put their collective efforts to increase the agricultural production for their own and the country’s wellbeing. The minister appreciated the Assam government and agriculture department of the state for putting all the effort to implement the central and state government schemes in the state. In his speech, Shri Atul Bora, Agriculture minister of Assam said that the government has introduced various schemes for doubling the agricultural production by the year 2022 and Assam has started implementing all the schemes successfully in the state. Apart from the welfare schemes launched by the Central Government, the State Government has also introduced various welfare schemes for the people of the State, Shri Bora said. The minister informed that under a scheme the state government has started distributing one tractor each to one Self Help Group in the 24 thousand revenue villages of the state and already 15,300 tractors have been given to the farmers. The minister informed that the production of rice has increased by 90% as compared to that was in 2015-16 in Assam. Emphasizing on the importance of bringing revolutionary changes to the agriculture sector, the minister said that it is very important to ensure that the benefits of the schemes reaches the real farmers. Gracing the occasion, Shri Kamkhya Prasad Tasa spoke about the schemes of the Assam government and said that it is necessary to ensure proper utilisation of machineries given by the government to the farmers. Agriculture machineries and equipment including tractors, power tillers etc. were distributed to the beneficiaries of the State today. A cold storage in Kharupetia of Darrang district was also inaugurated by the Union minister.