Rudrapur: Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, Agriculture Minister Ganesh Joshi, and Minister-in-Charge Pradeep Batra jointly inaugurated the ‘Khet Bachao Abhiyan’ (Save the Farms Campaign) at Gandhi Maidan in Rudrapur. During the event, development projects worth ₹369.66 crore were inaugurated and foundation stones laid.
Projects inaugurated included nine development works worth ₹46.32 crore, while foundation stones were laid for 32 projects worth ₹323.34 crore.
Addressing the gathering, Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan emphasized that protecting farmland and maintaining soil health are among the most important priorities for the future. He urged farmers to use fertilizers based on soil testing and adopt natural farming practices. He said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has reached new milestones in agriculture and is now the world’s largest producer of rice.
The Union Minister also announced several major initiatives for Uttarakhand:
- A ₹100 crore Clean Plant Centre will be established at Mukteshwar.
- Financial assistance of up to ₹4 crore for large nurseries and ₹2 crore for small nurseries.
- A ₹15 crore Centre of Excellence at Chaubatia.
- A ₹15 crore special project in collaboration with New Zealand to promote kiwi cultivation.
- ₹65 crore for fencing agricultural fields to protect crops from wild animals.
- ₹104 crore for installing automatic weather stations across the state to improve weather forecasting and strengthen implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that healthy farmers, healthy soil, and a strong agricultural system form the foundation of a developed India and a developed Uttarakhand. He described the Save the Farms Campaign as not merely a government programme but a people’s movement aimed at securing the future of coming generations.
The Chief Minister highlighted that the state government is providing interest-free agricultural loans up to ₹3 lakh, free canal irrigation, and subsidies of up to 80% on farm machinery under the Farm Machinery Bank Scheme. He also referred to the approval of a rain-fed farming project for hill regions and ongoing expansion of polyhouses, cold storages, cold chains, CA storage facilities, and mega food parks to help farmers obtain better prices for their produce.
Agriculture Minister Ganesh Joshi requested additional central support, including ₹65 crore for crop fencing, ₹10 crore for organic farming, and inclusion of finger millet (mandua) and barnyard millet (jhangora) under the Minimum Support Price (MSP) system.
